Rise of the Dark Lord
by Baronvonblack
Summary: A few simple changes completely shifted the entire course of history: A boy decided to become strong instead of break when his father left him, and he found a holocron created by one of the most powerful Dark Lords who ever existed...
1. The Beginning

"F-Father! Please! Don't leave me!"

It started out as a simple possibility,one amongst the countless numbers of human responses available. But it is impossible to account for every possibility, every outcome, and just because the possibility exists does not mean that it is likely.

"Please, father! I'll be good!"

It was just one possibility, one, that, if it occurred, would be considered by reputable professors to be nothing more than a fluke, a sudden burst of activity in the brain, the stimulation of neural responses. It went against every likely outcome, it was statistically invariable, it was a one in a million occurrence that hardly ever happened.

"Father... please..."

But possibilities are meaningless, coming and going with the wind. When they become accepted, however, when they occur, they become more than possibility. They become reality, in this case, a child's reality.

"Father..."

And the reality of a child, is just as viable as the reality of anyone else, for there is no true reality, only perception of reality.

"FATHER!"

Tears dried, though they were ultimately meaningless in the rain. The fear of a child, leading to anger. Anger, however, must be directed. And it find a reason for direction.

"You're the reason mother is gone! YOU SHOULD HAVE STOPPED IT!"

When it is directed, it grows. It spawns into hatred.

"FATHER! I HATE YOU! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!"

Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to... suffering.

The child's name was Shinji Ikari, and his eyes, so young, so innocent, were already consumed by hatred. His suffering had only just begun, but his suffering, had led to self-loathing, to inadequacy. Inadequacy of the self.

"I-I'll become strong... I'll show you! I don't need you! I don't need anyone!"

Unbeknownst to the boy, this was his first step down a dark path. For many, this path would led to destruction. For him, however – it would lead to legend.

-SW-

Shinji's path began as many others did. With only hatred fuelling him, he delved into books and athletics. His guardian, a teacher, commented to another that he had never seen such drive in such a young child.

His talents weren't immediately recognised from the offset, however, and 'driven' was often not the word described by adults. Instead, most described him as 'delinquent', 'troublemaker', a rebellious young child who was notorious for beating up those who made fun of him or annoyed him. Otherwise, he was unusually quiet, preferring to read or play sports. In class, he often got in trouble for sleeping or for his snarky mouth. However, one year later, all these attempts to defy authority stopped, to the relief of many.

What they didn't know, however, was that Shinji had already learnt all he could from attempting to push the boundaries of authority. He had learnt, that he could not get what he wanted by direct force or subjugation, and when he needed to resort to it, he had to cover his tracks efficiently.

This realisation was put into use when Shinji was attacked by a local class bully. Shinji's response was brutal – he so put the fear of God in the boy, that, even when questioned later on in the hospital, he was so fearful of the consequences he refused to name who had done this to him or to even reveal that someone had hurt him. Against an older bully that attempted to harass a girl, a far more subtle approach – he silently left clues for each of his parents and began starting rumours, until there was such suspicion of infidelity between them that they had to split up, the father taking the boy with him.

Nevertheless, these incidents soon disappeared when his guardian realised Shinji's latent talents. It had taken some time, however events seemed to click in the teacher's mind and he realised the incidents Shinji got into were due to boredom, the boredom of a predominantly accelerated child. With that revelation in mind, Shinji began the next step in his path.

Personal one-on-one tuition (one of his tutors claimed the boy was the "most talented child he had ever met"). Sports, with an emphasise on martial arts, much to his guardian's chagrin – it had taken a lot of begging and in order to convince him Shinji had to promise only to use these in self-defence. He read as much as he could. He drew. He played music. Everything that was set before him, Shinji literally consumed, at a rate that made his peers jealous but was not completely due to inherent talent, but to hard work and perseverance.

However, in this expansive stage of Shinji's development, one thing dwarfed all others. A thing that, he realised, made him truly special, more special than anyone else.

Shinji realised that he had a special power.

His suspicions first began when he was being berated by one of his first teachers. The tongue-lashing she gave him roused his anger and left him fuming, and when she sat at her desk without warning her cup went flying up and smacked her in the forehead with so much force it shattered and knocked her off her chair.

Slowly, more and more strange events seemed to occur whenever he was angry. A bully being thrown back by an unseen force. A pillow levitating, defying the laws of gravity. As more and more of these things happened, Shinji wondered if he could control it.

His first experiments, on adults, turned out futile. After that, Shinji tried on animals, and to his delight, his attempts began to work.

Shinji could make them do whatever he wanted. All he needed to do was summon his anger and impose his will on the animals, and it was like they were extensions of himself. He could control any animal he wanted, but the smaller and less intelligent it was, the easier it was for him to control.

And for humans, he resorted to the lessons he learnt in his earlier days, to be subtle, to cover his tracks well. Slowly, his intrusions got better and better, and as they did so, he began to acquire things – tidbits and broken pieces of knowledge, stray thoughts, fears and hopes. The better he got at intruding into other people's minds, the more complete his knowledge became. Soon, he was able to put pieces together, to learn things that those of his age-group shouldn't know.

However it was not enough, would never be enough. In order for him to walk the path to greatness, he needed a guide, a mentor. Though Shinji found his inspiration in great historical figures like Genghis Khan and Alexander the Great, he needed to study under greatness in order to achieve greatness.

And he would have his first encounter with a greatness that dwarfed all these men, when he was just seven years old.

-SW-

"It looks so strange, sensei. I don't recognise these markings but it doesn't look like an old artifact at all," Shinji commented as he opened his birthday gift. "Rather like something out of an old sci-fi horror, in fact."

What he held in his palm was a small plated metallic pyramid. There were many strange etchings on the sides, and on the top of the pyramid was a dark crystal. The object was unnaturally cool to the touch, and seemed to absorb the heat from his hand.

His guardian smiled. "I know. This little trinket is something that I received from a friend who acquired it in central Asia in a shop of curiosities. He was a Professor of Linguistics, and he used this as a paperweight and a good luck charm of sorts."

"That's interesting..." Shinji flicked it. "But why give this to me?"

"Because of the fact you've been doing so well. You're several years ahead and still top of your class despite your many commitments. My friend went on to become extremely well known, a master of his field. Perhaps, in time, you could have the same luck because of this."

"Thank you," Shinji said. "But I never knew you to be a superstitious person, sensei."

"Perhaps not, but we all need a little luck in life, don't we?"

"That's true." Shinji gave him a bow. "I'm going to go back to my studies now, so please excuse me."

Shinji's room was nothing at all like what a seven year old's should be. His wooden training sword was stored on a rack in the corner of the room, right next to his Kendo gear. His bookcase was literally stuffed to full of books on a variety of subjects, and right next to his bookcase was his cello and piano. Directly opposite them were his desk and laptop.

Turning his lamp on, Shinji narrowed his eyes as he held it to the light.

From the very moment he set his eyes on it he knew it was no ordinary trinket. The object gave off a dark aura and literally throbbed with energy, an energy that Shinji knew all too well, as it was the same energy he felt inside him whenever he tried to do something with his special powers.

Putting it on his palm once again, Shinji closed his eyes, and transferred a bit of his power into it.

The pyramid gave a hum and a whirr, glowing with a malevolent red energy as the markings were bathed in brilliant light. To the boy's astonishment, a large three-dimensional figure stood atop the pyramid, dressed in strange, almost organic armour.

The figure looked at him curiously. _"Tell me child, was it you who activated my holocron?"_

Holocron. That was a word Shinji had never heard before. Swallowing his surprise, he swiftly answered. "Yes, I did."

Sith holocrons were nothing like their Jedi counterpart. While their counterpart's avatar was nothing more than a knowledge keeper, the holocron a simple repository of knowledge, a Sith holocron required the maker to literally add their essence, the very thing which composed their being, into making them.

As a result of that, Sith holocrons were, in some respects... alive.

"_Interesting..." _The figure looked him up and down. _"And what is your __name?"_

"When asking one's name, it is polite to give your own first," Shinji retorted calmly.

Instead of anger or a stinging insult, the figure gave off a harsh, barking laugh. _"My, my! It seems you are as interesting as you appear! Very well, young one. M__y name is Darth Bane... Dark Lord of the Sith."_

Darth Bane... what kind of a name was that? "I'm Shinji Ikari."

"_Well met, Shinji Ikari," _the figure answered in its harsh baritone. _"Now, tell me... how is it you came to possess my holocron? Who is your Mas__ter?"_

"Master? What are you talking about?" Shinji asked in confusion.

"_Your teacher, then. Few have managed to activate my holocron. Without the right aptitude for the Force, it is nigh-impossible. And even then... to keep your own mind, one must have tre__mendous force of will," _Bane sneered.

Shinji unconsciously slipped his hand away, which had been trembling the entire time he had activated this 'holocron'. It was true – the dark aura that the object possessed before had nearly doubled, and it seemed to simmer in the air, like this ominous, black energy. Shinji was taking deeper breaths in order to compensate for the seeming lack of oxygen, such was the intensity of the malevolent energy. He was deeply thankful that his room was on the second floor, far away from his guardian. "I don't know what you're talking about..." Shinji came to a sudden realisation. "This... Force you speak of. Is that the reason for my powers?"

Now Darth Bane's avatar was even more curious. This boy, of all things, had managed to activate his holocron, when he, his lifetime, had added security precautions to prevent those too weak from ever being able to do so. Furthermore, it was evident he had no knowledge of the Force. _"Explain yourself."_

"Ever since I was little... I've always been able to do things, see things, that others can't," Shinji explained, his expression aloof and cold. "I can learn things about other people that they don't want others to know. I can make animals do what I want... I can lift small objects off the ground. Are you saying they all stem from this... Force?"

Extraordinary. This boy was no older than his apprentice when he had taken her under his wing, and already he boasted unbelievable raw potential. Never before had he seen such aptitude, even Darth Bane himself could not control his powers until he attending the Sith Academy.

And yet, he already saw in this boy a smouldering hatred, eyes filled with cold fury. If he was alive, the boy would be the perfect apprentice – no, more than that.

He could be the greatest Sith to ever come about in their Order, greater than the ancient Sith Lords, greater than Revan or even Naga Sadow. He could even be the Sith'ari, the chosen one of the Dark Side, the one prophesised to break the Sith in order to make them stronger.

All he needed, was to be properly moulded.

-SW-

Thus, for the next seven years of Shinji Ikari's life, his Sith training began in earnest.

By day, he continued to attend school and do sports. By night, he learnt all he could from Darth Bane's holocron, consuming everything he learnt with frightening hunger.

Though Shinji didn't continue to jump year streams as he had been doing earlier in his childhood, it wasn't because he was incapable of doing so, but rather he didn't want to or need to. He still easily scored consistently high marks and was almost always at the top of the class, but now, he had something else to aspire to, something greater than his petty need to prove he could be independent of his father.

The ambition of a Sith.

In his first lesson, he learnt the most important tenet of being a Sith, the Rule of Two – one to have power, and one to crave it. He learnt of the history and wars in the Sith Order, both internal and external wars, and furthermore, learnt more about the extraordinary galaxy Darth Bane once lived in. He also learnt of the Jedi, the Sith's eternal enemy, the ones that they had sworn to vanquish so long ago.

Even without a physical teacher, Shinji quickly proved Bane's earliest predictions and excelled in all that he did. His prowess in the Force grew, but the lack of a physical trainer posed a problem as Sith prided themselves not only on their mental and Force prowess but also physical and martial.

In order to combat this, Shinji did endless repetitions of the saber kata Bane himself had once learnt. He pushed himself as hard as he could in sports and martial arts clubs, refusing to rely on the Force in order to make himself physically stronger and harder. And in order to facilitate what he had learnt he began fighting not just against his peers, but against those bigger and older than him who possessed the advantage physically, to make sure that his technique was perfect. He was praised endlessly by his martial arts teachers as he learnt the powerful hand-to-hand combat styles Sith employed, a melding of the best parts of different techniques from different races and orders all over the galaxy.

His diet changed as he began to consume a larger variety of food other than the basic Japanese meals. He now ate a variety of meats, including plenty of fish to speed up optimum muscle growth and build a healthy physique.

Unlike Jedi holocrons, Sith holocrons held no restrictions on the Force powers that could be learnt by the user. Nothing was too dangerous for a Sith, after all. And Darth Bane himself was a master of many different powers, powers that Shinji eagerly learnt.

-SW-

It was on a perfectly inconspicuous day that Shinji received a letter that would soon be, once more life-changing.

A letter from his father. There was nothing in it except for blacked-out classified information and a NERV ID enclosed, and nothing personal from his father, other than the word 'COME'.

"_So, it is time," _Darth Bane mused. _"Your father has called you. For what purpose? To what ends?"_

"My father is part of an organisation called NERV," Shinji said calmly, though on the inside, his fury smouldered as long-dead feelings began to resurface. Feelings of bitterness, hatred, rejection – feelings that were unnecessary. He hadn't been a child since his father had abandoned him, what use did he have now for these childish feelings? "Information on it is classified, at the very highest levels. All I know about it are Internet rumours – that it is directly funded by the United Nations, that it has leeway to do whatever it likes in the defence of 'humanity'."

"_Indeed... it is pathetic that your planet is so fragmented, even despite such devastation." _Bane mused. _"What do you think is his motive for this sudden action?"_

Shinji ignored the slight, instead focusing on Darth Bane's question, a subtle test of his deductive reasoning. "It's simple. My father's found a use for me, and that's the reason he needs me. It isn't going to be some happy reunion," he stated cynically.

"_Be mindful of your feelings, apprentice." _Bane warned. _"Anger and hatred are powerful tools, but you must make them your allies, not your enemies."_

"I understand, my Master," Shinji replied.

"_Elaborate on his motive."_

Shinji closed his eyes, searching out with the Force. "All those years ago, when he abandoned me, I believe he expected it to break me. Because of this, when he calls me back, he expects me to return, starving for love and affection – namely, his." The corner of his lip curled slightly. As much as he hated to admit it, it was a masterful plan. "And so he expects me to be easily malleable... a tool."

"_Yet a tool of value," _Bane pointed out, _"if this has been his plan all along. Few puppet masters would want years of planning like this to go to waste. You will not be so easily cast aside."_

"Perhaps... most importantly, I did not break as he predicted," Shinji smirked.

"_Do not be so proud in your own ability. You were but a fragile child. That you did not break was not due to your own capacity, but the will of the Force."_

"You sound like a Jedi, Master," Shinji said sarcastically.

"_You are lucky that I am not present in physical form, otherwise you would be punished for your cheek," _Bane warned. _"Nevertheless, you have learnt well. Despite your youth, there is little more I can teach you."_

Shinji looked on eagerly. "Then am I ready, then?"

Bane snorted. _"Though you indeed have the power and the potential, you are far from being the Dark Lord of the Sith. However, you have been taught all that you need, and from here you will receive no more gui__dance. From here, you must learn how to utilise your own power in the manner you see fit... and in order to even be worthy of a challenger for the mantle of Dark Lord, you still have two trials."_

"What trials?" Shinji pressed.

"_It is quite simple. You must__ conquer and subjugate this planet to your will, and acquire the means to travel through Hyperspace," _Bane stated.

_Pfft. Simple my ass._ Shinji mused. Neither of these things would be easy, but the first was made considerably easier by the fact he already possessed a platform to reach power – through NERV and his father. Also, there was already mass civil unrest and tension, a tension that had only increased in the years after Second Impact. The climate was ripe for an ambitious and charismatic persona to unite Earth, and put to end the status quo that had been maintained for years, even before Second Impact.

The second task would be much more difficult. Earth was light-years away from the technology of Darth Bane's galaxy. He didn't even know where to start, in fact. Furthermore, he had no means of recreating a lightsaber, the most important weapon in a Sith's arsenal and the symbol of his power, even though much of his physical training had centred around swordsmanship rather than projectile weaponry like blasters, or rather guns. He was familiar with how to use one, having competed in a rifle club, but being a swordsman was the very core of Sith combat.

"_But in order to make external conquest, you must conquer yourself internally. Do you remember the first lesson that you learnt from me?"_

"There can only be two Sith – a Master, and an apprentice," Shinji stated.

"_Yes," _Bane hissed. _"Remember it well. It is the central dogma of Sith rule, and the foundation of our strength over the Jedi. The apprentice must su__cceed the Master in strength – by doing this, the Sith Order can grow stronger as a result. And you, my young apprentice, must show that you have indeed surpassed me."_

Shinji, instead of being surprised by this declaration simply smirked. "I knew it. You're not just the holocron's knowledge keeper aren't you? You actually possess a fragment of Darth Bane's very soul."

From the very moment Shinji had learnt about the intimate details of making holocrons, he knew there was something unique about the holocron he held. The avatar of Darth Bane was alive, in more ways than one. Even if the crystal contained Darth Bane's very essence, it was capable of reasoning things beyond what even a Sith holocron should have been able to do. It was as if capable of true thought, much like Darth Bane himself had been in life... too much.

Not to mention that when he activated it for the first time, Darth Bane had spoken to him in Japanese, a language not stored in the holo-banks or even existed in his galaxy. When Shinji activated it by pushing some of his power into it, he had also unknowingly passed on his knowledge of the language, however childish his grasp was, and Darth Bane had filled in the gaps using his own knowledge and mastery of the Force.

"_Yes... that is correct. Go__od," _Bane rarely praised him. Most of his compliments were not really compliments at all, but observations that he was doing as he had expected for someone with his potential. _"When I created this holocron, I feared that my current apprentice, Darth Zanna__h, was too weak, too incapable of taking the mantle of Dark Lord away from me by proving her strength. So, I searched for methods to prolong my life, not for fear of death, but to wait, to make sure that when I was defeated, it would be a true overwhelming__ of strength, rather than a cowardly betrayal of the weak."_

Shinji nodded, expecting as much.

"_Because of this, I learnt the power to transfer my spirit from body to body, a dangerous and painful Sith technique. This holocron was yet another precaution, as I transferred part of my spirit here."_

"But... by transferring your spirit, you'd be weakening yourself if you actually performed the technique," Shinji pointed out.

"_If Darth Zannah managed to overcome this technique, even without being at full-strength,__ then she has already proven her force of will to be great enough to bear the mantle of Sith Lord. And now, I will perform the technique once more. If you win, you have proven yourself worthy of bearing the title of 'Sith'. If I win, I return once more!" _Bane cackled._ "Prepare to face your fears, and the full power of the dark side!"_

With that, the holocron gave off a blinding burst of light, so bright that Shinji had to step back and shield his eyes. His body began to shake from the power being exuded, and he summoned his own command of the dark side in order to counter it.

A dark spirit rose from the holocron, cackling harshly as it flew towards him at inhumane speeds. Shinji's eyes widened before he flew backward, hitting the ground and blacking out.

-SW-

"F-Father, please don't leave me!"

Shinji opened his eyes once again, finding himself in a familiar scene. Before his eyes, he could see a younger version of himself, weeping the tears of a scared young child as his father left.

_You have so much pride in what occurred next, don't you, Shinji? That you decided to become strong, that you did not break as other children did. But the truth is, you are still no more than a child. And you broke, just as the others did._

Suddenly, the scenes changed, flashing through sequences in his life, key memories that he once had – however, unlike the memories he held of these past events, these were... wrong.

He saw himself being bullied, a hollowed, pitiful expression on his face as he was tossed aside with a tear-filled face – he saw himself, coasting through life, merely doing what he was told -

_The truth is, Shinji, you DID break! You are nothing more than broken child, a pathetic, snivelling worm craving the love and affection of a parent! You have no power! You are weak!_

The scenes began flicking through faster and faster, and Shinji's eyes widened as he was presented with each.

Him attending school...playing cello... eating dinner with his guardian...

All with that lost, broken look on his face...

And then the memories shifted, becoming more and more unfamiliar of things that had never occurred -

Being rejected by a girl... going to college... getting a job...

And then -

CRASH!  
"Hey baka! Watch it, will you?" His boss shouted, smacking him with her newspaper, despite the fact it was _she _who had crashed into him, breaking her laptop and spilling her coffee.

"Sorry, sorry!" Shinji cried, bowing his head as low as he could. He nervously adjusted his tie, quickly running away. "I – I have to get to my office!"  
"You can forget about a raise! And I'm taking this out of your wages! Hey! Why aren't you cleaning this up! Come on, take it like a man!"

"W-Whatever you say," Shinji hurried to his office, sighing as he sat at his desk. _Now it's time to start my work..._

"Hey Ikari!"

SMACK!

"Ow!" Shinji cried, rubbing his sore head. "Watch it, Seigo. And what's with the ball? What happens if boss sees you?"

His unshaven partner grinned, picking the baseball up. "Hey, don't sweat it! Don't forget, we're dating, remember?" He sighed in satisfaction. "Man, I can't get enough of that ass..."  
"B-But even if you're dating her, you k-k-know you have to get your work done or else she'll get on your case like she always gets on mine," he stuttered. "And speaking of which, what about the research I asked you to do? You know we're meant to be making a presentation at the end of the week!"

Seigo rubbed his head in embarrassment. "You know, about that... uh, well, my mum hasn't been feeling too well, and I've had to take care of her. Do you mind if you... well..."

Shinji sighed. "I've been working double shifts in order to compensate for you, Seigo. I'm absolutely exhausted, and you haven't been doing much work this entire year. Every time you need to do something, you always ask me!"

"Come on, dude, she's like, really sick!" Seigo begged. "Just this week, and I promise I'll help you out next time!"

"A-Alright..." Shinji relented.

"Thanks, dude! You're the bomb!" Seigo laughed, giving the lanky man a hardly slap on the shoulder that nearly threw him out of his chair.

"Hey Seigo!"

The man turned around in surprise. "Hey, Jenny! What're you doing here! This isn't your department!"  
Jenny gave him a wink, hunching down in a whisper. Unbeknownst to her, Shinji could hear every word. "I was wondering if you're free this Friday. I really enjoyed last week, and I was hoping if you'd..."

"Say no more, the S-Man is on the case," Seigo declared. "You bringing your friends?"

"Of course! They _really_ enjoyed your company, Seigo... if you play your cards right..." Jenny looked up to see Shinji in the corner, and hastily quietened down. "Alright, I'll see ya later!"  
"Uh... wait!" Shinji called out weakly, turning around. "Jenny? H-Have you heard anything from Karin?"

"Um... no, I haven't," Jenny offered weakly. "You know how Karin is, she's always on the move... she's overseas or something, I haven't heard much from her."

"But you guys are best friends," Shinji pressed. "C-Can't you just..."

"The next time I see her, I promise you I'll relay your message," Jenny sighed. "Right, see ya Seigo!"

"Bye Jenny!"

Shinji sighed, shaking his head in order to clear the thoughts pervading his head. "Hand me that stapler, will you?" When Seigo made no indication he had heard him, still texting away on his Blackberry, Shinji sighed again and went to grab it.

"BAKA!"

Shinji yelped in surprise, falling out of his chair.

"What the hell are these?" His boss shouted, throwing a stack of papers at him – as they hadn't been stapled, they burst apart, flying everywhere. "Much of this has been copy and pasted!"

"W-What?" Shinji asked, dazed from his fall. "Copy and pasted? I wouldn't..."

"YOU WOULD AND YOU DID? Did you not think I would Google it?" She snarled. "Do it all again?"  
Shinji picked up one of the pages. "But this isn't even my work!" He protested. "This is what you asked Seigo!"

"Don't make excuses or blame others! Now DO IT AGAIN!"

As soon as she had stormed out, Shinji spun around in anger. "Seigo! What the hell are you doing! Don't you know it's my job on the line?"

"Hey, don't sweat it. As long as I'm here she won't fire you."

"BULL SHE WON'T!" Shinji yelled, fed up with his partner's attitude. "You've always made me do all your work! Not to mention I'm always blamed for your failings! Am I meant to put up with all this!"  
WHAM! Shinji gave a cry of pain as he was thrown against the office wall.  
"Yes, you are," Seigo sneered. The larger man grabbed Shinji's thin arm, twisting it back. "Let me make it clear to you. _I'm_ the reason that the boss hasn't fired your pathetic ass. Show a little gratitude won't you? And _I'm_ not the one with the attitude either. You always complain about your teensy little workload, and it's annoying. Grow up. At the very least I'm always cheerful and happy."

Shinji bit his tongue in anger. _That's because you get everything you want without having to work for it. Just because you have a few muscles and are some sort of ladies' man, I'm meant to be pulling all the weight around here? _"Screw you."

Seigo snorted in amusement. "As if. Let's face it, Ikari. You're a spineless coward that no girl in their right mind would date. I don't know how you even landed in this job in the first place other than the fact your father's some hotshot Government official or something. You're never going to be a leader. So go on with your meagre little existence and let guys like me, guys who know what real power, do all the talking and rolling."

"Y-You don't know the meaning of the word 'power'," Shinji retorted acidly.

"HA! I know plenty more than you. I might even clue you in a bit. Real power... is the power to win."

_Power... win..._

Slowly, gears started to click in Shinji's brain as a foreign sensation filled his body. "W-What did you say?"

"Did you not hear me numbskull? Real power is the power to win!"

_Through power... I gain victory._

_Through... power..._

_My... power?_

HISS! "AHHHH!" Seigo shrieked in pain as he stumbled back, clutching his now stump of an arm.

Shinji smirked, raising a weapon with a glowing scarlet blade as his eyes gleamed yellow. "Through power, I gain victory." He twirled the lightsaber, lopping off his partner's head. "And through victory... my chains are broken!"

Shinji began cackling madly, the dark side of the Force fuelling his actions as his suit and lanky form shifted to black robes and a chiselled physique. He raised both his hands, lightning blazing to life. "The Force shall free me!"

With that, the world around him shattered, cracking like glass. He stepped forward, into an eerie cavernous world, filled with fog. Was this what his mind was visualised as?

Shinji looked to see Darth Bane, standing there waiting for him, before extinguishing his blade. "That was some illusion."

"It was more than an illusion – I used the Force to agitated your subconscious mind and direct it to your mindscape to enhance the effects. How did it feel?"

"It felt real. It really felt like I had lived my entire life as a weakling," Shinji confessed with a scowl. "And I don't like it. I could have been trapped in that illusion forever, couldn't I?"

"That man... Seigo. It was he who aroused you from your slumber, was it not?" Bane inquired. "And what he said. Tell me, did what he said make him a Sith, in any shape or manner?"

Shinji replied without hesitation. "No. He was a brute and nothing more, cannon fodder for the Sith at best. Patience. Subtlety. Cunning. He lacked all of these."  
"That is correct. Remember this lesson well, apprentice. And further, remember the inequality you suffered, for inequality is the natural state of things. There are those with the power and will to lead, and those who lead meaningless, meagre existences."

Shinji paused, taking all this in. "So that's what I could have been like... in another life." He mused aloud. "Dominated by those stronger than me, even though they themselves lacked true strength."

"Indeed. And now, we come to the true test." Bane raised his hand, a lightsaber materialising as he activated it with a snap-hiss. "Show me your power, or I will destroy you!"

"Gladly," Shinji smirked, performing the Form II salute before shifting into an entry stance.

Bane leapt forward, bringing his blade crashing down over his head in an incredibly powerful blow. Shinji shifted back, twirling his saber as he parried it, deflecting it away from him. But he had no time to follow up as Bane with extraordinary speed brought his saber back for another blow.

The young Sith quickly found himself on the defensive, barely defending against the more experienced duellist. Even despite the wide arcs in order to gather momentum, Bane was unbelievably fast, and Shinji found himself hard-pressed to keep up. Gradually, Shinji was being pushed back, and he knew that he couldn't keep a prolonged defence indefinitely.

He had greatly underestimated Bane's mastery of Form V, and was now cursing himself for doing so. Shinji had thought that by using Form II's footwork and fine precision, he would be able to take advantage of Form V's wide, sweeping blows, but not only was he being pushed back he was being forced to directly block Bane's slashes and thrusts. He was unable to time his attacks correctly to take advantage of any openings, but Bane himself was providing none.

As he was being pushed back, Shinji found himself hastily resorting to Form III moves, the most defensive of the lightsaber forms, in order to defend himself. He was quickly tiring out, and against Form V's raw kinetic power he had no answer.

_This isn't working! I have to take advantage..._ but how he would do so was the question. Darth Bane considered himself a master of lightsaber combat, and even though his attacks so far had been part of a furious physical onslaught Shinji knew that if he changed tactics Bane would do so to match. He knew that Bane was proficient in virtually all the forms and knew of their strengths and weaknesses. In order to have a chance he needed to take this out of a pure lightsaber duel.

Quickly Shinji racked his options, even as he narrowly dodged another sweep that came dangerously close to his shoulder. Changing to another form would accomplish nothing, unless he attempted to meet aggression with aggression – against Darth Bane, that would be tantamount to suicide. None of the Force techniques he had learnt would work since the opponent he was facing was extremely strong-willed and more skilled in the Force than he was. The only thing he could think of was Sith Sorcery, with Bane himself admitting he lacked an aptitude for it – however since Shinji's knowledge had originally been Bane's knowledge, he had no idea on how to perform it.

Things were looking bleak. If Bane had been at his full power and against him in physical form, there was no doubt in Shinji's mind that he would never have lasted this long. He would have died in a few blows._ It looks like I've still got a lot to learn._

Suddenly it came to him. _Wait. This is my mind, isn't it? _Shinji smirked, using the Force to flip back, landing gracefully on a rock even as he closed his eyes and focused.

Bane raised his eyebrows warily before his eyes widened as a literal copy of him materialised out of thin air, activating its lightsaber.

And that wasn't all. Everywhere he looked, he saw hundreds of copies of Darth Bane materialising, activating their weapons, approaching him with the same, confident air he himself possessed, shifting into the Form V stance he himself favoured.

With this, Darth Bane laughed, deactivating his weapon. "Using the environment against me – in this case, your mind. Very well played."  
"Not the most original ploy, I know, but I was running out of time," Shinji confessed as Bane suddenly found himself strapped to an iron rack. "I wanted to go for a Sith warship but knew you wouldn't give me enough time to visualise one, so I went for the person whose abilities and appearance I was the most familiar with."

Bane nodded his head approvingly. "To visualise hundreds of me... that takes a considerable amount of mental discipline. You have passed this test, though rest assured you have a long way to even attempt to contest the title of the Dark Lord of the Sith."

"I know. If each Dark Lord has become successively stronger, as you yourself wished... then the current Dark Lord will be even stronger than you are," Shinji stated.

"Nevertheless, you have done well. Kneel."

Shinji did so, as Bane now found himself in an obsidian throne, albeit one he was still strapped down to.

"You have completed your Sith training, and will be given a new name. From this day forth, you will be known as Darth Terros."

"Darth Terros..." Shinji tasted the name in his mouth. "Yes... that is fitting." The newly dubbed Darth Terros stood, looking at his Master calmly. "I've learnt all that I can from you. If I allow your soul fragment to leave, it could prove to be a problem in the future. But if I eradicate you through my mind, you could leave an unwanted imprint upon me."

Bane smirked when he realised what Terros had in mind. "Oh? So this is the choice you make, eh? Ambitious, aren't you?"  
"But you agree, because doing so will only strengthen myself," Terros answered. "And by doing so, we will see whose will is greater – my will to become the Dark Lord... or your will to survive." He bowed. "Thank you, Master."

-SW-

Terros opened his eyes and stood up.

He felt more alive than he ever had before. The power of the dark side throbbed painfully through his veins, aching to be unleashed upon his victims, and he was eager to do so.

But he would be patient. He would be cunning.

And when the time came, he would show this world the true wrath of the Sith.


	2. Angel Attack

A/N: Moved categories temporarily in a vain and hopeful attempt for more reviews.

-SW-

"_We're sorry, but due to a state of special emergency, all lines are currently unavailable."_

"Thought so," Shinji sighed as he put the phone back in its slot. "Well, it was worth a shot at least." Hefting his large duffel bag onto the ground, he used it as an improvised seat while he checked the photo he had been sent despite the fact he knew that she was late. Talk about professionalism...

He closed his eyes, feeling the Force literally buzz in anticipation in a manner he had never felt before. The Force was at times impenetrable and during his training, he found it difficult to meditate, often seeing barely a snippet of the future. It was like there was an ominous, looming black storm rolling in through the currents of the Force, a storm which originated from the Force itself, obscuring clarity, deceiving the perception of those who wielded it.

Master Bane had once told him this was the sign of expectancy – of the Force's preparation for events to occur. He himself had experienced this beforehand, though never for such a sustained period of time. Whatever was going to happen would surely be something to remember.

When Shinji had arrived in Tokyo-3 he immediately knew he was at the epicentre, the eye of the storm as it were. Here, the Force was exceptionally clear. It felt like breathing cool, fresh air after being trapped in a confined space. And here, he could feel the Force trembling in excitement for the events to happen, and he knew that they were extremely close.

As a Sith, he knew he had to not only weather and survive the approaching storm, but adapt it, change it in his favour. That was the true realisation of Sith power – to break free the chains which held him. To truly control his destiny.

Shinji widened his eyes and jerked his head around as he felt a pulse appear – _another Force-sensitive?_

A pale girl, about his age, with strange blue hair and red eyes, stood staring at him in a school uniform. He blinked and the spectre vanished. _Well. It looks like my time here will be more interesting than I expected._

Suddenly he gave a gasp of shock as a massive _shockwave_ literally rippled through the Force. It was so powerful that he unconsciously summoned the dark side in defence and jolted up in a prepared stance, as a low metallic whine echoed through the city, followed by the dull thuds of something in the distance.

Shinji picked up his duffel bag and turned around, watching as a group of choppers hovered away in mid-air, followed by something that completely blew his mind.

A monstrous, humanoid being, easily more than forty feet tall, lumbering through the city.

What didn't blow his mind, however was the size of it. What blew his mind was that, whatever this creature was, it literally shined with the primal energy of the Force. In particularly, the strange core embedded in its chest shined so brightly it burnt like a miniature sun.

"I-Incredible," Terros gasped in awe. He had never, in all his time training with his Master, even _heard_ of something like this. In all his studies of creatures, never had anything burnt so strongly with pure, raw energies of the Force.

He was in for another shock as the helicopters suddenly fired off a barrage of missiles – the monster staggered back slightly, as if hit, but his eyes saw what others did not see – a strange, invisible field had suddenly projected itself, easily protecting the monster from conventional attacks.

The sudden screech of tires caught his attention as a blue Renault pulled up beside him. "Sorry I'm late! Were you waiting long?" The woman – Misato, he remembered – quickly opened the door for him, and even despite the battle going on around them she possessed a playful smirk.

Shinji jumped in, throwing his duffel bag in the back even as Misato floored the gas, jerking the wheel round as hard as she could. They narrowly missed the monster's large foot as it stepped into the street, easily crushing the concrete into rubble.

"What the hell is that thing?" Shinji questioned, shooting it another glance as they drove away as fast as they could.

"It's called an Angel! I'll explain later!" Misato shouted as she twisted the wheel, causing the car to turn into another street at breakneck speeds, heading for the mountains.

_An Angel... there must be a st__ory behind that, _Shinji mused as the woman accelerated recklessly, jerking around on the otherwise straight road. Who would call a walking weapon like that an _Angel_?

Once they had put considerable distance between them, only did Misato start to slow down, coming to a halt. She pulled out her binoculars, rolling down the window. "Now let's see here..."

"Is this a good idea?" Shinji questioned incredulously. "We'd be caught in the shockwave if they decide to use an N2 mine. Shouldn't we go on a little further ahead?"

"An N2 mine would only be a last resort," Misato answered automatically as she adjusted her binoculars. "Besides, they need to get clearance from the higher ups in order to do so."

"...You've got to be kidding me right? From my perspective missiles and artillery weren't even touching it! Of course they're going to use an N2 mine!" Shinji said with a sigh of annoyance, even as he lowered his head, putting his arms around it protectively.

"Oh no..." Misato looked on in horror as the helicopters began moving away. "They ARE going to use an N2 mine!" She spun around to see that Shinji had, impressively already braced himself. Despite that she jumped onto him anyway, since he was under her care. _Let's hope my car comes out of this fine..._ Misato though desperately as she heard the massive explosion in the distance.

Needless to say, when the shockwave thundered towards them, causing her car to violently tumble away like a weed blowing in the wind, she knew that wasn't going to happen.

-SW-

"Are you alright?"

"A few bumps, but nothing major," Shinji answered as he dusted himself off.

In their rush to get away, Misato hadn't gotten a good luck at him, and here she had a chance to properly observe him in person.

Dressed in a casual chequered shirt with an airy summer jacket and lightly-coloured jeans, Shinji seemed to carry himself with an effortless elegance and grace. Even for a fourteen year old boy his physique was already impressive – she could immediately see this, even despite his clothing, if the muscles hinted at through the cut and fit of the clothes were anything to go by. His face also possessed unusual maturity, lacking any baby fat. Not to mention his blue eyes were vivid and seemed to glow, sparkling with life and intelligence. "So, Shinji Ikari, we meet at last," she said with a smile.

"It seems so," Shinji said, matching her smile with a grin. "And it's a pleasure to meet such a beautiful woman in person, Miss Katsuragi."

_O-ho! Flatterer, isn't he? I bet he's a real ladies' man. _"Oh, for someone as charming as you are, Misato is just fine," she answered, taking her sunglasses off even as she blushed slightly. Considering how busy she seemed nowadays, it was impossible to find time for anything else, let alone a social life. _Flirting with a fourteen __year old – have you no shame, Misato? _She admonished herself. "Now help me get my car back on the ground, would you?"

A few minutes later, they continued on their way to NERV HQ.

"Misato..." Shinji began.

The woman, who had been so lost in her lament over her now ruined car and clothes, turned around to look at him brightly. "Hmm?"

"That thing that attacked us. You called it an Angel. So what is it exactly?"

Misato cleared her throat. "Well, that thing's official designation is the Third Angel. As for what they are, they are an alien race dedicated to wiping out humanity."

"Really," Shinji commented dryly. Clearly there was more to it than that. That 'Angel' was literally brimming with Force energy, although he had a sneaky suspicion that much of it came from that strange red core embedded in its chest. The only way to find out would be to somehow destroy it and retrieve some samples – although he had no idea how the military would do that considering their trump card, an N2 mine, had only slowed it down. Conventional weapons had no effect at all, and the only alternative would be nuclear ballistic weapons, something he considered highly unlikely since the Angel was rampaging through a city of all things. If they had to resort to that, they might as well declare the city lost due to radioactive fallout. "And Misato..."

"Hmm?"

"Don't worry about your dress, you still look great even if it's a little tussled."

Misato gaped in shock. _H-How did he know I was worried about my dress?_

It appeared there was more to Shinji Ikari than she had ever thought possible. She had, of course, read the boy's report and respective psych profile – though she knew he was a gifted child...

The rest of the journey carried on in comfortable silence, until they reached their destination – NERV Central.

"So, it's going to be a real surprise to see your dad, huh?" Misato asked, the car parked onto an express train.

"Not unless he's finally shaved his beard," Shinji quipped, causing Misato to give off a laugh. Internally however he was strongly suppressing his emotions. His father, even now, had always been a touchy subject and one he would prefer not to bring up.

"That reminds me, did he send you an ID card?"  
"Yep," Shinji pulled out his wallet, showing Misato the card he got with the letter.

"Okay, good. Well here then, read this." She handed him a 'Welcome to NERV' booklet.

Shinji received it with a muttered "thanks", noting the 'Top Secret' stamp on the cover as he opened it. He highly doubted it would tell him anything specific, but given he knew little to nothing about it he might as well give it a skim. "Then I guess I am going to be working for the old man. Though considering I'm only fourteen..."  
"Don't worry, everything will be explained when you get there," Misato said in her usual bubbly manner.

"Thought so," he scowled. "Even now he hasn't changed at all, has he?"

"It sounds like you don't get along with your dad," Misato sighed, her smile still in place. "Guess you're just like me..."

There was a whoosh as the train exited the tunnel, revealing the Geo-Front in all its glory.

"Whoa," Shinji looked out the window. "It really is a Geo-Front!"

"That's right. This is our secret base for NERV – as well as a fortress for all mankind. It's the key to rebuilding our world."

Terros was incredibly impressed with the formidable defences of the Geo-Front – even though it would only slow the Angel down, it would take a lot of soldiers to invade. It was all but impossible to siege, considering it was a fully self-sustainable fortress.

-SW-

"What on Earth? Isn't this the right way?"  
Shinji sighed, the NERV booklet tucked away under his arm as they stepped onto another travelator. "I'm certain we passed this spot several times already."

Misato rubbed her head in embarrassment. "Well, I'm not used to this place yet! Man, where the heck is Ritsuko when you need her?"

"Do you mind?" Shinji sighed, holding his hand out for the map she was holding. Once he had it, Shinji quickly scanned over the incredibly complex map. "Well that's why we're not making any progress. We're not even on the right level," he stated, turning off and heading towards the elevator. "Come on!"

Misato looked on in annoyance as the youth guided her easily through the maze of connecting elevators and stairwells. Finally, by the time they had reached another elevator, she could see a familiar blonde waiting for her. "Er... hi, Ritsuko," she waved awkwardly.

The blonde woman sighed as the small group stepped into the elevator. "Why are you wasting my time Captain? Aren't you aware that we don't have enough as it is, _and_ not to mention we're lacking in manpower?"

"Hehe... sorry..."

Shinji looked up at the lavender-haired woman incredulously. _This woman's meant to be a Captain? As uncouth as it is... what the hell?_

Ritsuko turned towards him. "So is this him?"

Misato cleared her throat. "Yes. According to the Marduk Report, he's the Third Child."

"Actually, the name's Shinji Ikari," Shinji corrected lightly, inclining his head in an informal greeting. "A pleasure."

"Ritsuko Akagi, head of Technical Division 1," she greeted.

"As you can see, he's definitely a lot nicer than his father – and a lot better looking," Misato said with a wry grin.

Shinji raised an eyebrow. "_The _Dr. Akagi?"

Ritsuko was taken aback. "You've heard of me?"

"Of course. I read your papers on gene therapy and cell propagation, very interesting," Shinji answered.

"I... wasn't aware that those papers were high school reading material," Ritsuko said, looking at him with detached interest.

Shinji responded with a shrug. "I read a lot."

-SW-

The only response Terros showed when he came face to face with a monstrous cybernetic machine was a raised eyebrow. "Huh. Very cool."

As they steadily got closer towards it, he could feel its presence in the Force, and though it seemed to be a robot, he knew that it hid a lot more underneath.

"What is this?"

"This is mankind's ultimate fighting machine. The synthetic life form, called Evangelion – Unit 01," Ritsuko declared. "Built here in secret... it is mankind's last hope."

_So it's not just a machine. It really is a living organism, albeit a created one. _Shinji narrowed his eyes.

The Force wasn't lying to him. He could definitely tell it was similar to the Angel. And like the Angel, he could sense the energy of the Force within it, though it was... diminished greatly, somehow. And he had a feeling that the fact it was so well restrained by this narrow cage (for the Evangelion) wasn't just there for show.

"So father, it looks like this is what you've been up to."  
"Correct!"

The lights flicked on as Shinji turned to the bearded man standing on the balcony. He showed no surprise, only looking at him calmly, as if he expected something like this to happen.

"It's been a while." Gendo stated.

Slowly, a dark smirk made its way onto Shinji's face. "Hello... _father_..."

It took every ounce of self-restraint Terros possessed not to use the Force to crush the man's neck, then proceed to attack and kill every one of the crew with Sith lightning. However, he was patient... he could wait, and when the time came, he would show the man the power of the dark side.

Gendo looked at him impassively. "We're moving out."  
Misato looked up in shock. "Moving out? But Unit 00's still in cryo-stasis!" She gasped. "Wait! You're going to use Unit 01?"

"There's no other option," Ritsuko answered.

Shinji watched their interactions closely, just as he had been taught.

Master Bane had taught him thoroughly the art of reading people. Furthermore, he had emphasised the need to look and perceive between the lines using the Force, to realise that there were no coincidences.

So was it a coincidence that Ritsuko seemed to know beforehand what Gendo's plans were? Therefore, did it seem unreasonable that she knew more of his father's goals? Or was she just a tool? Terros would find out.

"Wait a minute! Rei can't do it yet, can she? We don't have a pilot!" Misato protested.

"One has just been delivered."

Misato looked at her incredulously. "You're joking."

Ritsuko turned to Shinji, but he beat her to the punch. "Let me guess – you want me to pilot it, don't you?"

"Correct," Gendo answered.

"But even Rei took seven months to synchronise with her Eva! He just got here!" Misato cried.

"We only need him to sit in the seat, we don't expect any more than that."

Shinji closed his eyes, going through the options in his head at rapid pace. He had a suspicion about something, but in order to confirm it he needed to see who this 'Rei' was. "So this is the reason you called me here, eh?"

"Correct."

Shinji scowled. _Really, is that all you can say? _"Fine, I'll do it – but on two conditions." He raised up one finger. "First, I want to be paid..." he pretended to make a show of thinking. "One million yen a month as long as I'm employed. Secondly, I'm not going to school..." _Let's see how far I can push this. _"I want direct employment in the NERV Technical Division, assistant to Dr. Akagi herself, with all the wages, bonuses and perks that come with the position... _in addit__ion_ to my pay."

Misato was gaping at his audacity. Ritsuko was also looking at him with something akin to shock.

Gendo however was unflappable, and simply adjusted his glasses. "Your conditions are rejected."  
"They're non-negotiable," Shinji answered, crossing his arms. He needed to make himself look as childish as possible, not only to ensure this would work, but also that his father would underestimate him. "Unless... you have another pilot that can take my place?" he mocked. "Or am I too _special_ to lose?" And not to mention piss him off at the same time.

If anyone was looking closely, they would see a barely imperceptible, minute twitch appear under Gendo's eye.

The Commander turned to one of the TV screens. "Fuyutsuki! Wake up Rei!"

"_Can she still do it?"_

"She's not dead yet." He watched as the TV screen flicked to 'Sound Only'. "Rei."

"_Yes?"_ A soft female voice responded.

"The spare is useless. You will do it again."

"_Yes, sir."_

Ritsuko sighed. While she expected this to happen... she didn't _quite _expect it to happen like this. "Reconfigure Unit 01's system for Rei!"

"_Deactivating current process and reconfiguring!"_

Shinji felt the Evangelion's Force signature flicker as it was deactivated, its glowing lidless eyes disappearing. _It also lacks the strange red core that Angel has. Pathetic. A creature this powerful and it's not even complete. Or__ is this Gendo's way of restraining it? _He hid his smirk. _A weapon like this... shouldn't be restrained, but unleashed! _Shinji sent out a small tendril through the Force towards the Evangelion, but he received no response.

The rolling of wheels in the distance caught his attention. Shinji turned around, to see several nurses wheeling a stretcher carrying a heavily-bandaged blue-haired girl as he narrowed his eyes. _So... this is Rei._

It was obvious she was in a lot of pain. Every move was a struggle as she tried to get up, her arms shaking with fatigue and exhaustion. Shinji watched on impassively, waiting to make his next move.

Suddenly, there was a rumble above them, so powerful it rocked the entire base. Rei gave a scream as she fell to the ground, hitting it with a smack, and the ceiling lights began to shake violently before they came loose, hurtling towards Shinji.

Terros was preparing to move out of the way in a manner that would be discreet – however, a sudden pulse of Force energy stopped him.

Without warning, Unit 01's hand shot up protectively, deflecting the lights as they smashed into the wall.

Shinji looked at the machine in astonishment, and turning slightly, he could easily make out Gendo's barely hidden smirk through the window.

"_Unit 01 moved on it's own!"_

"That's impossible!" Ritsuko cried. "The entry plug isn't even inserted! There's just no way!"

Misato pulled herself up. "Is it possible it was protecting something?" She thought aloud. "Protecting... him?"

With a burst of speed, Shinji rushed over to Rei's side, clutching her in his arms. Since he had his back to the others, he used his body to shield what he was doing as he placed a single finger on Rei's forehead.

It was normally impossible to detect Force-sensitivity without an external device or specialised blood-kit to detect midi-chlorians.

However, he wasn't testing whether Rei was Force-sensitive or not, because he was almost certain she needed to be, if she was indeed an Eva pilot. What he was testing, was whether or not she herself knew this.

And with that, Darth Terros closed his eyes.

He summoned the dark side of the Force, letting it fill his veins as new energy rushed through him. Terros focused it on Rei, letting the power slide under her skin, dulling her pain.

Rei's eyes widened as she gasped, feeling an onslaught of emotions that she had never felt before. The pain began to ease and her mind, dulled by morphine cleared as she reflexively grabbed onto the tendril of energy, pulling it in towards her.

"Ack!" Terros grunted as he felt her yank the energy tightly. _No, no, no, I didn't intend for this to happen! _Quickly he withdrew – but not quickly enough, and for a brief moment, their minds melded.

"_You... bitch!" Hands around her throat, strangling her, slowly crushing her windpipe -_

"_This is your purpose in life. You are expendable" -_

"_Unit 00 is going berserk!" -_

Shinji fell backwards in shock, as Rei turned to him. Her impassive, stoic face, creased, as if she was trying to make out an expression, but Terros put a hand on her arm, forcing the sensations he had experienced aside. "Rest," he whispered as Rei's eyelids became droopy, and her body relaxed. "I see now. Don't worry, child. I will protect you." He murmured an incantation in the Sith tongue, one that would put her in a deep sleep to help her recover. She was powerful, much more powerful than he had expected.

And there was something about Rei. Something that felt... unnatural, in a human being, and in the way the dark side connected with her. It was like his power had literally been sucked in, instead of the gentle tug he had expected from an untrained Force user.

Shinji stood up, turning to his father. "Fine. I'll be Unit 01's pilot. But, I expect to be paid a satisfactory amount for my services... and my final stipulation is this. That Rei move in with me."

"What?" Gendo's eyes widened fractionally before he regained his cold face. "Stipulation denied. You will be paid for your services, but Rei will stay where she is."

"Both, or I leave you all here to die..." Shinji glanced down. "And take Rei with me outta here!"

"This fortress is heavily guarded. Do you really think you can escape with a wounded person slowing you down?"  
"No... but I expect to take enough time that the Angel breaches the Geo-Front," Shinji retorted. "Both or nothing!"

Gendo looked down at him with an imperceptible look on his face. "Very well. Then you agree to pilot?"  
"That's part of our deal, isn't it?" Shinji smirked.

-SW-

"_Cooling process, completed!"_

"_Right arm repairs, completed!"_

"_Cage now in position for docking."_

From the safety of NERV Command, Ritsuko and Misato watched patiently as Maya, one of the bridge bunnies, typed in a few commands. "Signal plug terminator has been ejected."

"_Roger. Inserting entry plug."_

"Man, to think that his own son of all people talked a deal out of the Commander," Misato commented with amusement.

Ritsuko sighed. "The problem is, do you think the deal will hold up?"

"_Plug fixed in place... connecting Unit 01!"_

From within the entry plug, Shinji sat relaxed, watching as the lights around him shimmered.

"_Filling the entry plug."_

His eyes widened in surprise as a strange, orange liquid began filling the entry plug. "Uh... Dr. Akagi, what is this stuff?" Shinji took in a deep breath of air befor the liquid completely filled the entry plug.

"_Don't worry! Once your lungs are filled with LCL, your blood will be oxygenated directly! You'll get used to it!"_

Shinji let out his breath with a sigh, tasting the coppery liquid that suspiciously smelt like blood. "LCL?"

"_Link Connection Liquid. It'll help you synchronise better with the Eva!"_

_Interesting..._ Shinji closed his eyes and expanded his senses, feeling the liquid begin to react to his use of the Force. Could LCL enhance his Force-sensitivity? "You should've told me earlier so I wouldn't panic."

"Don't tell me you're whining?" Misato asked in annoyance. "I thought you were a boy!"

What did that have to do with anything?  
_"Connecting main power!"_

"_All preliminary contacts established. Conditional nominal."_

"Synchronisation ratio is remaining steady at... seventy percent!" Maya said, her eyes widening in shock.

"What?" Ritsuko leapt beside her, looking at the ratio chart. "I-Incredible, it's like he's been born to pilot Eva... Check his harmonics chart!"

"There's an unusual anomaly, but aside from that his harmonics appear fine! Amazing... to think Rei took seven months in synchronising with her Eva..."  
"An anomaly?" Misato asked.

Ritsuko observed it closely. "It doesn't appear to be anything considerable though I'll be having a look at it later. We can do this!"

Sitting in the entry plug, Shinji felt his skin tingle from the sensation of the LCL.

Whatever the liquid was, it seemed to... stretch him. In addition to his honed Force abilities, he could _feel_ the entirety of the Evangelion like it was an extension of himself – like each limb was his own.

Once again he sent a pulse to the Evangelion, but unlike last time where there was no response, he could definitely feel that something was occurring. Unit 01 was... confused.

Shinji smiled slightly, sending placating feels towards the Evangelion. It was a beast, an extraordinary one, but a beast no less, a perfect predator. But the perfect predator was nothing without the perfect prey.

"_EVA LAUNCH!"_

Terros was thrown back in his seat from the incredible G-force of being propelled to the ground at extreme velocities, but the smirk never left his face as anticipation raced in his blood.

There was a sudden jerk as the Evangelion came to a halt. Shinji calmly regarded the Angel, which had stopped in its track and was now looking at the Evangelion with something akin to curiosity.

"_Release restraints!"_

There was a thud as the Evangelion was detached from the rails. Unit 01 was finally free.

"_Shinji, just concentrate on walking for now."_

Terros, however, had other plans as he focused on the Evangelion. _The thing in front of you is our enemy. Help me to kill it! _He mentally asked, imposing his will and strength onto the Evangelion.

Back in NERV Command, Maya's eyes widened at the numbers on her console. "S-Sempai! The pilot's syc ratio is beginning to rise again!"  
"What?" Ritsuko gasped.

"I-It's at seventy five! Eighty! Ninety! My God, he's reached a _one hundred percent_ syc with Unit 01!"

Ritsuko felt her face pale. "Berserker..."

Unit 01 gave off a ferocious roar, lowering its head as it sprinted forward into a reckless tackle, slamming into the Angel and throwing it into a building.

In response, the Angel fired off a beam of energy, one that Unit 01 swiftly deflected by raising its AT-field before bending and making an extraordinary leap, hitting the Angel, feet first. It held the Angel down, smashing into its red core with such force a small crack appeared.

"T-The pilot's life signs are normal," Maya said in horror. "He's in complete control of the Eva!"

From his desk, Gendo narrowed his eyes.

"It looks like your son is more talented than we expected," Fuyutsuki commented as the two observed the battle.

"Indeed, though we already knew that from his report." The Commander's gaze hardened. To fight in a controlled berserker state, to remain completely in control of the Evangelion's natural animalistic impulse...

In reality, however, Darth Terros had merely used his powers to completely synchronise with his Evangelion's animal-like mind. It was a common ability used by Jedi and Sith, but to take control of something this powerful required great skill.

Shinji had already gotten much practise with the technique from an early age, though using it on a monstrosity like an Eva was a completely different deal.

Instead of a completely controlled berserker state, he merely connected his thoughts with the Evangelion, lending it subliminal suggestions on where to dodge, and where to move in order to attack best, which the Eva promptly listened to since it recognised his superiority.

Why did he have to fight the Angel when Unit 01 was built to fight Angels? All he needed to do was direct it on what to do next.

And right now, he was directing his thoughts on the Angel's red core. _The core. You hav__e to destroy the core._

The Evangelion growled in response, smashing it as hard as it could with its fists. Seeing that there was no effect, it grabbed one of the Angel's ribs, tearing it off as a makeshift weapon before continuing its onslaught.

Slowly but surely, the Angel's core began to crack.

Shinji's eyes widened as the Angel gave off a screech as its form began to shift. _Destroy it now!_

Unit 01 gave off a mighty roar, pulling its weapon above its head before bringing it crashing down with all of its strength, penetrating the core completely. It gave off a bright flash before the Angel's limbs slackened, its body loosening before losing all life.

It was finally dead.

Evangelion gave off a roar of triumph before the beast spirit returned to its cage, its bloodlust quenched, leaving Shinji back in control of the machine.

-SW-

Sitting in his office with Fuyutsuki ever faithfully by his side, Gendo was looking over all the files he had received on the Third Child – namely, Shinji Ikari.

"I don't know what you expect to find, Ikari," Fuyutsuki said bemusedly. "You've already been over his documents."  
"I didn't expect his personality to deviate so wildly from the intended scenario," Gendo confessed. "Initial psych reports of the Third Child showed a gifted but unusually quiet child. Instead, he is cocky, arrogant and self-centred."

_Like father, like son. _Fuyutsuki thought cynically. "Do you think this could pose a problem?"

"Unlikely - instead, the Third's personality makes him considerably easier to control, similar in respects to the psych profile of the Second in Germany. Since he is clearly motivated only by selfish gains it will be easy to keep him under our thumb – financial motivations, for example."  
"You wish to keep his 'deal'? What about the old men?" Fuyutsuki asked in confusion.

"They will not do anything – as long as the Third continues to pilot Eva they will have no chance but to accept, however much my son is being paid," Gendo replied. "And in light of the considerable funding NERV receives every year as well as additional funds for the astronomical costs of the repair not only to the city but to the Evangelions themselves this will seem paltry."

"So you're actually going to pay him? And a lot, from the sounds of it."

"I've approved a wage scheme for the Third Child equivalent to the pay a Major receives, which is not inconsiderable. However in order not to show favouritism it is being considered a wage scheme for all pilots in active duty." He gave a slight smirk. "Though they are not paid by default, as a stipulation."

"Very clever." It was clearly a 'don't ask don't tell' situation. As long as the other pilots were kept in the dark about it they couldn't request it. "And his second request?"

At this Gendo barely repressed his scowl. "That... occurred, without my knowledge."

Fuyutsuki's eyes widened. "What?"

"As you yourself know I was to forbid the Third from having any contact with Rei, however it seems that he has planned ahead. Without my knowledge and through unknown means he managed to secure forms to move Rei into his new apartment."

"How did he manage to do that? And without alerting you?"

"I, too, would like to know that, sensei. However it fits in with his arrogant demeanour – that he gets what he wants, and is willing to use whatever means to obtain it. It is most likely physical attraction or infatuation, things that Rei, as per her... schooling, should consider unnecessary."  
"You believe she'll remain loyal to you?"  
"It is a certainty. Though the Third is talented, he is still but a child."  
"And yet you cannot move to reverse the change, without making it reflect badly on yourself," Fuyutsuki pointed out. "In that respect, he backed you into a corner."

"Indeed. It will not occur again. I have given Rei orders to spy on him and report his actions directly to me. And if worse comes to worse... she is replaceable," Gendo dismissed. "Rest assured I will be investigating how he managed to slip underneath my notice. This will not happen a second time."

-SW-

"Well, it looks like that's it! The Commander approved your request for Rei to move in with you. Just try not to give us any babies anytime soon, huh?" Misato teased, handing him several forms.

"M-Misato, it's not like that!" Shinji answered, blushing.

It was relatively simple to manipulate a few of the staff here to push the relevant forms through. What was worrying, however, was how compliant his father was, given the nature of the request.

Though he had managed to back him into a corner, he knew his father wouldn't sit by idly. So there was more than likely a nefarious purpose involved with his acceptance of the requests.

Since the money he would soon be receiving would be automatically dispersed into multiple accounts, it was almost guaranteed to involve Rei.

He had been kept in the hospital bed in case of 'mental contamination' by the Eva, and it had given him plenty of time to sort through the things he had accidentally received from Rei. Since his own mind was strongly protected, it was unlikely that she received anything similar – however what she could've received instead could have been just as damaging, but, after time to think, it would be useful.

_The girl is nothing more than a tool for my father's purposes. Well, we're all tools at NERV to him, but she's a specific tool,__ for a specific purpose. Despite that, she's... expendable? _He had to think through this a few times to get it. Even though she was clearly intended for something of great value, at the same time Rei was expendable and could be easily discarded. However she was an Eva pilot in addition to his father's purpose for her, whatever it was. Did that mean he was equally as expendable as her, if not more?

Terros shook his head, clearing it as best he could. It was likely he wasn't getting the full story. What he had received however was enough to confirm that it was more than likely the old man intended to use Rei against him, in some fashion, which was why he had cooperated despite clearly intending to deny it. Exactly what she was intended for, he didn't know, but he still had a few trump cards up his sleeve.

The most important trump card of all however, was his accidental connection with her.

"Shinji... are you sure about this? Living together alone with Rei..."

"It's fine!" Shinji raised a thumbs up. "Besides, you're only a street away from us! Say, do you mind helping me move in? Since Rei is still at the hospital I might as well help prepare for when she gets out."  
"Sure thing!" Misato grinned.

Terros was fully confident, however, that no matter what Gendo's plan was, it would still be greatly underestimating his capabilities. Most importantly, he possessed the Force, and was a Sith.

And nobody can outmanoeuvre a Sith, not even his father.


	3. Forming Plans

Ayanami was taught and raised from birth perfectly – though unlike other methods of teaching, the manner she was taught did not provide her knowledge, but rather denied it.

To others, she appeared expressionless and aloof, and it was this manner she adopted when she came out of the hospital, to find the Third Child waiting for her.

"Ayanami," he said with a smile. "I'm happy to see you're feeling better!"

Ikari Shinji. The Third Child. She had received direct orders from Commander Ikari regarding him, and would comply, as he had ordered.

Rei simply walked past him, getting into the taxi waiting behind him. The Third followed soon after, and they drove to their new apartment in silence.

As Rei walked in her eyes widened imperceptibly as she viewed her new apartment.

Unlike her former one, which was in one of the older districts and was considerably run-down, this apartment, like the rest of the building, had been newly built and as such was modern and incredibly clean.

"I've got the air conditioner on since it's been a little hot outside – oh, and I forgot! Your things were dropped off a day ago! They're in your room – here, let me show you!" Shinji grinned, leading Rei through the apartment, and opening the door into a room that was more than twice the size of the bedroom in her former apartment. There were a couple of bags on the floor, containing her clothes and belongings.

As Rei inspected her belongings, she noticed there were several things missing. "I owned several books on science and genetics," she said – the first thing she had said to him since they had met.  
"Oh, those old things?" Shinji smiled. "There's a large bookcase in the living room with the updated editions of your books."

Rei paused, contemplating all this. Her new apartment was bigger, and considerably more comfortable than her older one had ever been. Ikari had also taken the liberty of going down to the hospital to greet her and guide her here. In all her life, she had never received this much kindness in such a single day. So naturally, she was confused. "I... see."  
"It's my pleasure," Shinji said, interpreting her response as that of gratitude. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to say."

Rei had taken a shower after that. To her surprise, the shower possessed both 'hot' and 'cold' taps (she had once requested for hot water for her showers, but Commander Ikari claimed it to be an unnecessary luxury).

As soon as she had finished, it was time for dinner. Shinji had been cooking, and as soon as she smelt the delicious aromas her stomach involuntarily growled.

"You're a vegetarian, right?" At her nod, he grinned, setting down her plate of hot food.

Once again, Rei was taken aback, this time at the taste of the meal and the flavours dancing in her mouth.

"Do you like it?" Shinji asked, to which Rei responded in the affirmative. "That's good."

After they had finished eating, Shinji had insisted on doing the dishes also, considering that she needed to heal and this was her first night. "After all," he told her, "you're home now! This is as much your place as it is mine!"

That night, Rei lay on her bed, staring up at the ceiling as she pondered this unusual day.

Her first reaction, was, naturally, a reaction of confusion. Rei wondered why Ikari, who she had never met before, was showing her such great kindness.

Commander Ikari had ordered her to report on the Third's actions, especially if he was undergoing unusual activity. Was it unusual, then, for the Third to be showing her such kindness? Or was it a custom of society, that he did so? Rei felt incredibly conflicted.

The next day, happened in very much the same way. Ikari insisted on walking with her to school, talking and discussing the finer points of genetics. He offered to sit with her at lunch, an invitation Rei declined, and they had parted ways for the rest of the day, though not before he gave her the meal he had prepared.

At the end of the day, Ikari was waiting for her by the school gate and offered to walk with her home. Since they lived together, Rei was not disagreeable to this.

What she was initially disagreeable to, however, was when he had stopped to buy her some ice-cream, only taking it at his insistence. Her mind changed, however, when she tasted it, and as they walked the rest of the way home the Third once again engaged her in cordial conversation, one that was neither distant nor intrusive.

Again, as Rei lay in her bed that night, her hand on Gendo's glasses, she was confused, and no answers were coming to her. There seemed to be no strain of reasoning to the Third's actions, and it was indeed troubling, but what was troubling, however, was this strange feeling in her heart.

She closed her eyes, putting her hand over it. The feeling was alien, yet familiar to something she felt when she was with the Commander. However, unlike with the Commander, this feeling seemed to swell and bubble, making her light. Rei also felt the urge to smile for some unknown reason.

The rest of the week carried on much in the same manner. Every day Shinji invited Rei to sit with him at lunch, and every day Rei declined. However, it was on Friday that Rei finally agreed, finding him on the school roof. "Ikari."

Shinji turned to her, his face warm but surprised. "Oh hey Ayanami! I'm happy you finally accepted my invitation!"

Happiness. It was a term Rei was familiar with, but in this context, she did not know how it applied. "Why are you happy?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Why are you happy that I have accepted your invitation?"

"It's simple really – people are happy when they spend time with a friend or loved one," Shinji gently explained.

Friend. Loved one. Again, Rei was familiar with those terms, and again, she did not know how they applied. The Commander had told her she had no use for friends nor for loved ones, so why was it that he was using this term? "A friend or loved one? Why are you happy then, that you spend time with me?"

"Isn't it obvious... you're my friend."

_Friend_. Rei blinked her eyes in shock. "You consider me... a friend?"  
"Yes," Shinji said with a gentle smile. "That is, if you'll have me as one."

This week, Rei had found nothing but warmth – warmth in her new apartment, warmth from the Third... however, at his offering, she did not go for the instinctual response, and tried, as she was taught, to reason, to think on his offer, but as she closed her eyes in thought, no solution came. "I'm sorry. I do not know how to respond adequately to your request."

"Human interactions – are not something that can be reasoned or explained, but something that you have to experience, since they're deep within you. Since you are human, Rei... _feel_ what you have to do."

Rei was confused by his explanation. Then her thoughts returned to that moment when she had first encountered the Third Child, when he had touched her forehead and done... something to her.

It was a moment that she had not shared with even the Commander, because it had confused her greatly, and in a small part... made her afraid. The energy that she felt washing through her, bringing a myriad of emotions that the girl had never experienced... things that roused something inside of her.

And in their absence, Rei felt a great void, an emptiness in her heart, though she did not know what it was. In their absence... Rei missed them.

And as she remembered that moment, Rei knew what to do. "I will... have you as a friend, Third."

"And since we're friends, we can be more intimate in addressing each other. You can call me Shinji, and I in turn will call you, Rei," Shinji answered, his eyes sparkling.

It was that moment that things started to change for Rei. Psychologists have debated exactly what happen, but even the notion of having someone intimate, someone to call your 'friend', can make changes in the connections and the chemistry of your brain, especially when you have been apart from it your whole life.

That night, Gendo's cracked glasses were left alone by her bedside table.

-SW-

"_Good morning, Shinji. No problems in piloting the Eva?"_

"Good morning Dr. Akagi," Shinji smiled. "Nope, she runs like a dream."

"_That's good to hear. Have you memorised the position of all the Eva emergence points, emergency power junctions, armament equipment sites and recovery zones?"_

"Piece of cake," Shinji said confidently. "So when are we killing another Angel?"

"_Enthusiastic, aren't you? But let's review it now. As you know, an Eva runs off electricity provided by an umbilical cable, and in emergencies, it can switch to a built-in battery, with an active life of one minute at full power, and no more than five minutes in the minimal activity gain mode, due to our current limits in battery capacity technology."_

"That's too bad, isn't it? An umbilical cable is cumbersome for close range battles, and if it's lost we only have a minute left to kill the enemy."

"_Unfortunately that's the case. Now let's begin from where we left off. Initiate Induction mode!"_

There was a hum as the simulator activated, and Shinji watched as the screen in front of him showed a visage of the Third Angel. "Don't worry, I got it from here," he answered with a sigh, and with a burst of fire he easily destroyed the Angel.

Back in the command centre Ritsuko sighed. "He didn't even need to use the Eva's targeting system for that."

"You know... I wonder why Shinji agreed to pilot for us?" Maya asked from her seat.

"He's getting paid a considerable salary to do so. Which is a perfectly adequate request considering he's risking his life for the sake of humanity every time he goes out," Ritsuko answered. "All the pilots have the option of taking a salary, of course, but only Shinji opted to do so." There was a beep from the console, and Ritsuko frowned in annoyance as she activated the intercom. "Take it easy, will you? You're doing more damage to the city than you are to the Angel."

"_But this is boring!" _Shinji complained. _"It's the worst shooting game I've ever played."_

Maya suppressed a giggle as Ritsuko rubbed her temples in exasperation. "It's not meant to a game, Shinji!"

"_If it was, no one would buy it, because there wouldn't be __any challenge," _he answered sarcastically. _"I mean, I thought these things have an AT Field to protect from weapons like this! And who's to say the Angel will attack in exactly the same way as it did last time?"_

Misato piped up. "He has a point you know, Rits. If the Angels are smart they won't try to attack the same way again."  
Ritsuko gave her a glare of annoyance. "And what do you suggest we do, Shinji?"

"_Well, for the first thing, this weapon really sucks. If this were human-sized the military would never have used it. The pellets are equivalent to a very low-calibre bullet. What we need is something a lot heavier with more of a punch."_

"I... will file that away with all the other requests you've made, Shinji," Ritsuko answered with a sigh. _Why do I even__ bother. _Since the boy had joined up, he had been making a lot of requests – a progressive sword, a high-powered long-ranged rifle, a heavy machine gun, twin axes... "I'm glad to see you're being so enthusiastic. Anything we can do now?"  
_"You should add gr__eatly to the list of capabilities an Angel could possess – flight, long-ranged attack ability, high-density skin – and have it randomly spawn a different type of Angel from the one I kill. In addition, you should make it so the Angel can make adjustments b__ased on my previous performances – for example, if an aerial attack failed, it'll try close-range tactics."_

Ritsuko blinked. "That would take a lot of time to program..."

"Do it. He's right, no Angel would attack in the same way," Misato answered.

The blonde sighed, seeing a lot more work ahead of her. "Fine. What kind of abilities should I add?"

"_Just as many as you can think of. Seriously, we have no idea what the Angels are capable of, or even if they have a limit to how big or how small they can become."_

Misato chuckle. "Just say it, Rits. You like him, don't you?"

Truthfully Ritsuko couldn't disagree. She knew that Shinji was, on all accounts a talented academic, and often when he was at NERV he would come to Ritsuko's office, asking a variety of questions about not only the Evangelions but also the data they had gathered on the Angel.

Thanks to Shinji's efforts in the previous battle, they had managed to recover a near-perfect sample of the Angel. He had frequently popped into her office, checking if there were any new developments. Since she worked long hours and often those hours were late with no one around she couldn't say the interruptions were bad. At the very least, someone was interested in what she was passionate about.

-SW-

Shinji sighed as he sat in the classroom. His attention was nowhere near what they were learning about, instead, his thoughts revolved around the mysterious girl who he was now living with. It wasn't like they were learning anything useful – from Dr Akagi, he already knew that the Second Impact was caused by an Angel instead of a meteorite.

He turned around to see Rei was looking out the window, before, sensing someone watching her, turned. Shinji gave her a smile, and she turned back to the window – though not before hiding her blush of embarrassment.

It was a work in progress, but Shinji had spared no effort for her comfort. All his father considered her to be was a tool, and that was how she was treated. Nobody had ever treated her like an actual human being.

However slow it seemed, Rei _would _open up to him, one way or another.

There was a beep from his laptop. Shinji turned to the screen, frowning as a message had popped up.

ARE YOU THE PILOT OF THAT ROBOT? Y/N

Shinji narrowed his eyes, even as another message soon popped up.

IT'S TRUE, ISN'T IT?

He wasn't under any order _not_ to talk about the Evangelions, but Terros knew that if he admitted it, there could be some unwanted problems in the future. Having said that, he also knew that the identity of the pilots wasn't as secretive as it could've been, and any serious attackers would have easily acquired the information anyway. It could even be useful.

YES.

Shinji mentally groaned as a collective cry came from the students, and everyone turned towards him.

-SW-

WHAM!

Toji gave off a grunt off pain as his punch cleanly miss Shinji's face. The Sith had easily slipped underneath it and stepped back, grabbing the taller boy's arm and using his own velocity against him by pulling him into his knee, smashing into his ribs.

"Sorry, but I don't let anybody hit me for a useless reason," he answered. "And you're lucky I softened that hit otherwise that blow would've easily cracked your ribs."

"Shut up!" Toji pulled himself up. "You're the reason my sister's in hospital!"

"Would you rather I have let her die instead?" Shinji asked coolly, sidestepping another sloppy punch. "Because that's what would've happened had I not piloted. Both of you, and your families would be dead. Scratch that – everybody in this city would be dead. It's funny how people are narrow-minded sometimes."  
"Screw you! You know nothing!" Toji growled, hunching down and launching into a tackle.

Shinji leapt back, using his leg to swiftly sweep him off his feet, making him land on the ground unceremoniously. "And besides, isn't your sister your responsibility? Doesn't that mean that you're trying to blame me for your own failings? Next time, be a man and take responsibility for your own actions."

"Shinji."

Terros turned around to see Rei. "There is a situation. We are required to be at Headquarters immediately."

"Okay, let's go!"

Kensuke sighed, lowering his camera with which he had filmed the entire event. "You know, the new kid's got a point. He _did_ save our lives."

"Sh-shut up!" Toji stood dizzily. "It's like you're on his side!"

"...Maybe I am," Kensuke muttered, helping the older boy inside.

-SW-

"Type blue blood pattern confirmed! It's an Angel," Makoto stated at his position in the command bridge.

"And they had to do it while the Commander's away," Misato mused as she stared at the large screen of the now designated Fourth Angel.

"I don't understand it. The last time they gave us fifteen years… it's been barely three weeks!"

"They don't care for our situation at all. They're the type we women hate the most." The Captain complained, crossing her arms.

They watched on the screen as it made its way into the city with impressive speed, uninhibited by the numerous defensive measures put in place.

Fuyutsuki sighed. "What a waste of taxpayers' money."

"The committee is demanding we launch an Evangelion again!"

Misato smirked. "They really get on my nerves sometimes. As it is, I would've launched one anyway."

From within the entry plug, Terros had his eyes closed, his senses stretched out as once again, he communed with the Evangelion.

It gave a soft growl as it acknowledged him once more. Yet again, he could feel the Unit's bloodlust, its anger, its _power_.

"_EVA LAUNCH!"_

Once he reached the surface, Shinji smirked. He leapt out of the building, firing a barrage of bullets.

"_Idiot! You hid the enemy in your own smoke!"_

"And whose fault is that for not giving the Evangelion an infrared or thermal scanner?" Shinji retorted. "Don't worry, it can't see me either."

Misato, from her post in the Command Centre merely groaned. "In the middle of battle and he still manages to be snarky..."

"Sempai! It's happening again! Shinji's sync ratio is skyrocketing!" Maya yelled.

Ritsuko's eyes widened. "Once could have been just a fluke, but twice? So he can enter into a controlled berserker state whenever he wants?"

"Could this be a problem?" Misato demanded.

"It doesn't appear to be. For some unknown reason, Shinji is able to trigger the Evangelion to go berserk whenever he pleases. The amount of willpower to do something like this... let alone the level of synchronisation with the Evangelion, and without any mental contamination..." Ritsuko's eyes narrowed. _Though, I still haven't figured out what that strange anomaly in the harmonics chart is. Is this your doing... Yui?_

The Evangelion gave a roar as it dropped its rifle, the progressive knife sliding out of its shoulder plate and into its hand as it leapt to the side, narrowly dodging the whips that suddenly came out of the smoke.

"No way! How did he know it was going to attack?" Misato cried in astonishment.

Naturally, what she didn't know was that Angel's were literal _shockwaves_ in the Force, massive intrusions that bent the current around it, like someone dropping a boulder into the middle of a river. Though he physically couldn't see where it was – Shinji could still sense it just fine.

_Let's end this in a single move,_ Shinji thought. The Evangelion growled in agreement as it charged forward, bursting through the remnants of the smoke before the Angel could withdraw its whips to attack once again. "Take this!" He shouted, and the Evangelion gave off a spine-chilling bellow as it gripped its progressive knife tightly, thrusting into the core.

And with a single blow, it was all over.

The entire bridge crew was shocked, to say the least.

Aoba was gaping in astonishment. "No way..."

"H-He killed it... in a single blow," Maya gasped.

"Shinji... you can return to base," Misato said, her face in similar amazement. _It's like he's the perfect soldier..._

Shinji relaxed, though he could feel his Evangelion's dissatisfaction at how quickly it ended. "Don't worry... there'll be bigger and better battles than this," he promised, even as he headed back.

Unbeknownst to him, two boys were sitting on the top of the hill, and they had just watch the entire battle, as short as it was.

And, naturally, like the NERV crew, Kensuke was speechless. "That... was... so awesome!"

Toji however huffed. "Pfft, killing that thing looked easy!"

"As if you could pilot a giant robot like that," the geeky boy snorted, checking his camera to see if he had gotten the entire thing – and much to his delight, he had. "You gotta admit though, that new kid's got skills."

"...I'll give him that. But I still hate his guts!" Toji yelled.

-SW-

The day after the battle, Shinji headed to Ritsuko's office, knocking on the door. "Are you busy, Dr. Akagi?"

The blonde doctor looked up in surprise, putting down her coffee. "Oh, no..." she yawned. "I'm just summarising the data we gathered in battle against the Fourth Angel, and compiling it in a report for the Commander. Again, I'm pleased that you managed to retrieve an almost perfect sample. Nice work, Shinji!"

"Thank you," he said, inclining his head in a slight bow before raising a bag. "I brought you some brownies. Figured you might be hungry from working so hard."

Ritsuko looked at him in surprise, even as her stomach growled from the chocolate smell wafting from his bag. "Really? Oh, Shinji, you didn't need..."  
"I made a whole bundle of them for Misato, since all she seems to eat is instant curry and noodles," he said, gaining a slightly ill look. "And since I had quite a few leftover, I figured I might as well bring some here, you know, to thank the bridge crew and all that for working hard." Shinji finished sheepishly.

_Well... you're cert__ainly a lot more considerate of other people than you are of your old man. Too bad you're so cheeky. _"Well then, thank you," she said with a smile, taking the small paper bag of warm brownies he offered her. This would certainly make writing her report a lot more comfortable!

"Hey, Dr. Akagi, I was wondering – now that we've got two samples of an Angel, do we have any idea how to replicate their power source?" Shinji asked curiously.

"Their S2 core – both remains of the Angels will be sent over to the NERV Third Branch's Energy Analysis Unit, in Germany, once we have finished a complete analysis. Unfortunately, we don't have the required instruments, not to mention manpower, to even try to replicate one," Ritsuko answered, taking a bite into one of the brownies. Immediately her eyes brightened. "My God, Shinji – this is amazing! Did you make it?"  
"Yes, I did, it's my favourite recipe in fact. So there's no possibility that it could be replicated here, in Tokyo-3?"

Ritsuko shook her head. "The Energy Analysis Unit is far better equipped to handle something like this, not to mention the potential risks in experimenting with an S2 engine in a city of all places. You remember the battle with the Third Angel where it moved to try and engulf the Evangelion, clearly in a kamikaze move. Theoretically at critical mass, the energy output would be enough to wipe out half, if not the entirety, of the city and the Geo-Front."

"Well, that certainly poses a problem," Shinji said sarcastically, before sighing. "I just don't like the fact we're giving away such important resources. The Geo-Front's the most secure fortress in the world. Not to mention there must be a lot of people out there who want a potentially unlimited power source."  
"I can understand your concerns, Shinji. But unfortunately, as you can see our hands are tied."

-SW-

Shinji huffed as he left NERV headquarters. _Well that certainly told me alot_, he thought cynically even as he hailed a taxi, directing it to go back home.

It looked like he had learnt all he could from Ritsuko Akagi – that is, learnt all that she was willing to tell him. As the Chairman and Director of Project E however, not to mention the best scientist in the entirety of NERV's sphere of influence there was no way she _didn't_ know what was going on.

He certainly wasn't an idiot. Master Bane had rigorously drilled into him the importance of an eye for attention, for seeing the minute details and reading between the lines, and Terros knew even this early in the game that there was clearly a more nefarious purpose to NERV than 'defending humanity', or whatever their PR department came up with.

However, in order to be certain he needed to be patient until more elements began to reveal themselves. More importantly, Terros needed resources. Allies. And people with the same mutual interests.

Giving the taxi driver his money, Terros went back into his apartment, knowing Rei was most like out at HQ, perhaps getting briefed by his father on more ways to keep an eye on him.

As soon as he walked into his apartment, he went to the stereo and turned it on, playing it at maximum volume as classical music blasted out the speakers. When Rei was here, he'd turn the air conditioner on full blast or kept the TV on in the background – anything in order to generate background noise, and make it difficult for NERV to track him through the microphones they had placed.

Furthermore, he had found a bug on both the telephone in the living room and the one in his bedroom. Since he had a mobile phone, this was hardly a problem. What was a problem, however, were the discreet cameras his paranoid father had also placed.

Since none of the monitoring devices could be removed without arousing suspicion, Shinji merely adjusted them so they were at opposite angles, creating little "pockets" of space where the cameras could not see. _You have plenty of money to spend on monitoring me... but none on actually making me fight better against the Angels. How is that supposed to work? _He mused as he stepped into his walk-in closet, pulling a locked case out of its hiding place.

The case was internally locked and made of tough plastic, making it difficult to open unless through blunt physical force. Only Shinji, who could use his Force powers to open the locks from the inside, could access it, which was indeed thankful since if this ever got in the hands of his father or even Rei he would be prosecuted and thrown in jail faster than one could say 'Angel'.

Inside the case, were several beakers and a stack of plastic slides – but it was what was in those beakers and slides that mattered.

Within one of the sealed beakers, filled with preservative, was floating a chunk of the Third Angel. In another sealed beaker was a shard from the Angel's S2 core, and as Shinji smirked as he looked down, proud of stealing a piece of them, he pulled another sealed beaker from his pocket, containing a sample from the Fourth Angel as well as another shard from its S2 core.

It certainly didn't seem like much considering the gargantuan size of the Angels. But if there were more of them, then Shinji would possess quite the collection. All he needed were samples, since the answers he was looking for were in the DNA, and with the addition of the Force... well, anything was possible.

Terros felt a warm buzzing feel in the back of his neck as he felt Rei's Force signature come within range of his senses. Due to their accidental melding whenever Rei came into his proximity he got that same buzzing feeling in the back of his neck, indicating that she was near. And soon enough, a minute later he could hear a click as the door opened and Rei walked in.

Terros stepped out onto the balcony, the only area of their apartment that wasn't actively bugged, looking out to the city. He could sense Rei pause, before heading out towards him. "Hello, Rei," he said calmly, and didn't need to use the Force to know she was surprised. He had his back turned, and was facing the city. "How is my father? Doing well, still?"

He could feel her involuntarily tense up. Rei was the ultimate test of his skill in reading people, a skill he had been honing from a very early age even before his training in the Force. Her subtle gestures, minute twitches and micro-expressions had taken him at least a week of constant interaction before he got many of her characteristic quirks down. _Now what will you do, Rei? Will you lie, as my father most likely ordered?_

"I do not understand what you're talking about, Shinji," she answered, so impassively he was almost impressed.

Shinji sighed, turning to her with a sad, disappointed look on his face. "What did my father do, in order to inspire such loyalty in you, Rei?"

Silence. Rei had reverted completely to her aloof persona, the one he had first encountered.

He continued. "I heard about the incident with Unit-00. I heard about what he did. Tell me... did he do it for your sake? Or for the sake of his agenda?" Terros closed his eyes. "Are we truly friends Rei? Let me ask you a question, and if you truly believe in our friendship, then answer. Would you hurt me if the Commander asked you to?"

Rei... frowned. It was an odd question. To her, this entire conversation probably seemed strange and meaningless. Nevertheless, she answered, truthfully. "If I am ordered to... I will." Even out of her mouth, the words sounded hollow and lifeless.

"That was the answer I thought," Shinji sighed. "Are you happy with this arrangement? That you will do what my father orders you to do... even if you die?"

"I am not afraid of death," she responded flatly.

"But you _are_," Shinji hissed in a low, almost Sith-like way as he raised his hand to stroke her cheek. She shivered at his touch. "Perhaps, before all this, you were not afraid. After all, you came into this world naked and with nothing, and out of this world, you will go, naked, and with nothing. It wouldn't matter so much, if, between those two points, you have nothing – therefore, you enter this world with nothing, you are nothing in it, and you leave with nothing. And that was your life, Rei, was it not?" He closed his eyes. "You used to wish for death. How does dying feel, Rei?"

At that, the unflappable Rei looked at him with someone akin to shock. Her eyes widened slightly, her breathing became marginally quicker and shallower. She blinked twice, an expression Shinji had come to associate with her experiencing some form of emotion.

_Rei Ayanami... people assume that since you are expressionless, you are incapable of emotion. But that is not true. You are merely incapable of expressing it._

To think, that all it took was one week, one _simple_ week, of treating the girl as a human being, as one that got angry, that got sad, that could cry, or laugh, or smile. Even a Sith Lord would not deny any of their underlings that which made them the most powerful, the capacity to _feel_, and in that, Terros found Gendo abhorrent, to suppress and squash Rei, to dehumanise her completely until she was merely a doll to be used and cast aside. At the very least, even _he _treated his tools with value.

"People think that since you are expressionless, you do not feel, but you know what it is to feel. When you look up at my father... in the deepest, darkest recesses of your heart, over all your child-like adoration, you feel fear don't you? You wanted to die, but he brought you back, and will likely keep bringing you back until your task is done." Shinji said. He had gathered at least that much from the girl's memories. _How_ his father brought her back, and for what purpose, he still had no clue. "But now that you have experienced merely a fraction of what life has to offer, what will you do now? Now that you have experienced emotion, experienced attachment, can you really live once more without them? Can you really die and leave them?" With that, Terros walked past her. "I'm going out soon. Dinner's in the oven, if it goes cold, microwave it for a minute. And the next time we talk, Rei... please, don't deceive me."

-SW-

The Section Two agent on duty that night barely had any time to gasp as a hand burst out from the darkness behind him, wrapping tightly around his mouth. Another hand found its way to the top of his head.

Darth Terros calmly held the man in place with impossible strength, even as he used the Force to go through his mind, rapidly assimilating what he wanted by ripping the knowledge straight out of his brain. The process was, naturally, quite painful, and all though out the several minutes this occurred, the man screamed his throat hoarse, muffled by Terros' hand, as his limbs flailed around uselessly, before finally falling unconscious in a fit of spasms, foam gathering at the mouth.

Terros dusted himself off, before setting the man back in his previous sitting position. The agent's mind had already been wiped blank of the last hour, and for all intents and purposes, he merely fell asleep from tiredness. A Section Two agent, after all, couldn't exactly 'disappear' without the wrong people noticing.

Nevertheless, it looked like he got what he wanted. The Section Two agent was ex-law enforcement, Japanese special branch to be precise, and he had more than his fair share of dirty contacts. Terros was thankful he didn't need to go ripping the knowledge from anyone else's head that night – it left him with a mild headache afterwards.

Dressed in a set of dark shirt and pants, he still hardly cut an intimidating figure. That was fine – as he made his way to the Old Tokai District, Terros didn't plan on being seen.

Anton was sitting at his desk, beer open, going through stacks of shipment manifests and blueprints before he suddenly felt an oppressive presence make itself known directly behind him.

"Don't turn around," Terros stated in a gravelly voice, augmented by the Force. "Are you Anton Lukyanenko?"

"Who are you and what the hell do you want?" Anton demanded in a thick, brutish tone, with a clipped Russian accent. The man wasn't exactly the kind of person you would want to get into a fight with. He looked like what you'd expect from a Russian gangster – heavily muscled, with his arms literally bathed in tattoos. "I can make things _very_ difficult for you. Have you come to kill me?"

Though he seemed to be no more than a brute, a thug, in reality Anton was scheming, wily and clever. The Russian ex-gangster was wondering how this person had known who he was, but more importantly, how he had found his safehouse.

"No, on the other hand, I'm here to offer you a business deal, from my employer," Terros said.

Anton's hand, which had been hovering slowly towards the firearm in the open drawer below the desk, stop. "Who?"

"Nobody you'd know. Someone who pulls the strings and knows how to stay under the radar. Nevertheless, he's heard of your particular talents and connections... he's very impressed, and would like to pay you for your services in making a series of shipments."

The world after Second Impact was a world of chaos and strife. Many Governments had buckled under the weight of near economic collapse, and in order to survive, many had begun to deal with less... reputable elements. Civil wars and riots had drastically increased, and in order to accommodate them arms dealers and high-profit criminal organisations had begun to rise. For those Governments less fortunate, much like USSR Russia had done towards its collapse, they had begun to sell off stockpiles of weapons, ammunitions, and explosives, not only legitimately but on the black market. Many dealers were all too happy to get their hands on them.

At his request, Anton smirked. "Well, you came to see the right guy! What we talking about?"

"We're talking about armaments, and not just the budget AK-47 models. We're talking about shipments of the _real_ good stuff here, the hi-tech stuff. And not just firearms. Heavy weaponry, armour, equipment, schematics, vehicles... my employer needs you to utilise the entirety of your network in order to locate enough for a small country."

At this, Anton got a greedy glint in his eye. It had been a while since he had done something as big as what the mystery man was asking him to do.

Anton was no stranger to financing armies. He was nearing middle-aged now, and he had certainly been around. Ever since he had been busted several years ago however, the most he could do was small jobs, mainly local stuff even, in order to put some food on his table and keep a roof over his head. However, what this man was asking to do... it would be enough to retire on. And, with no living relations, Anton had nothing to lose.

"I do have a couple of contacts in the Government... but, let me tell you, it's going to take a while to sort all that out. In addition to keeping it hush-hush, the money required for this will be considerable."

"Money is no object," Terros dismissed. "Just provide the manpower yourself and my employer will pay for it."

Anton laughed. _"Now _we talkin' my language. But... how do I know you're telling the truth? How do I know this ain't some elaborate set-up?"

"19, 25, 36, 12, 54," Terros recited. At Anton's confusion he explained. "That's the private off-shore account number of the business whose assets you seized sixteen years ago. To my understanding, all of it was returned when you were caught... and I'm guessing you want some payback."  
At this, the man began to cackle, his voice harsh and mad. "Well! Tell your employer he has a deal! Man, I thought only the special agents involved in that case knew the guy's number. If you guys are this good then I _know _I won't get ripped off. So, how am I going to be able to contact you people?"  
"Don't worry... we'll contact you. And my employers name is... Terros." With that, Shinji turned around, his form melting into the shadows. "Darth Terros."

-SW-

A/N: One reviewer has pointed out the concerns of the Rule of Two. Naturally, as a Sith, Shinji/Terros knows it is essential to Sith philosophy. However it is also a literal mandate of being a Sith that one must take an apprentice, especially in Shinji's case since he is the only Sith on his entire planet – someone to act out his will and be a personal assassin, and do the dirty work, which Shinji now is forced to do since he doesn't have one. Also, if he dies, at the very least, his apprentice can carry on with his plans.

From Evangelion we see two potentially very powerful Sith – Asuka and Rei, literal opposites. Since Rei has already accidentally moulded with Shinji, she is his original target. For the purposes of this story, only Rei or Asuka are viable candidates to be Shinji's apprentice, and Shinji may eventually even regret his original decision since it is difficult to picture the docile Rei as ambitious or desiring power.

However, Rei, since she is the key to Instrumentality, may offer a key to ascending to heights beyond what even Sith could dream of – something Shinji will become aware of later. Because of this the Rule of Two may even become irrelevant to Shinji, something which can be a plot device later – after all, is Darth Bane really gone from Terros' head?

Furthermore in terms of Sith hierarchy we've also seen plenty of underlings, Sith inquisitors, people below the traditional Master-Apprentice relationship. However we also have a history of apprentices training their own apprentices to try and overthrow their master – Vader in an attempt to convert Luke, for example, or Count Dooku with Asajj Ventress. Lucas has previous mentioned that Asajj and Dooku would have been killed by Palpatine had he known the extent of Ventress' training in the dark side.

The point of this big long author's note is that Shinji may not interpret the Rule of Two as strictly as his master did and may be slightly more liberal. This doesn't mean he'll be stupid however. Also, if people are concerned about Shinji's strength he is _way_ underqualified to be the Dark Lord of the Sith. He will get stronger as he goes, but once he reaches his peak... he will be VERY powerful. Right now Shinji is in terms of pure strength slightly below or equal to Anakin's level in Episode II. His main advantage is his cunning and broad knowledge of many Sith techniques, and the fact that people are underestimating him. But again, when he peaks... remember that Palpatine was able to use the Force to call massive storms that could rip through the fabric of time and space, and Naga Sadow was able to use Sith sorcery to create powerful illusions that could literally mind-rape millions.

Shinji has one such devastating technique in his arsenal, learnt from Darth Bane – the thought bomb. However as many of you know, it is a suicide technique. He will eventually become stronger as the story goes on.


	4. A New Apprentice

"LET'S EAT!"

Shinji watched with some amount of incredulity but mostly amusement as Misato grabbed one of the beers she had taken with her, cracking it open and taking an extremely long draught, downing the beer in one go before giving a burp and tossing it to the side. "WOOOO! Life doesn't get any better than this!" she yelled, digging into the food ravenously. "So tell me, Shinji, have you and Rei 'sealed the deal' yet?"

Rei, sitting across from Shinji, simply stared at her blankly while the boy sighed in annoyance. "Misato, _please_ don't try corrupting Rei."

"But you're fourteen, aren't you?" Misato gave a loud slurp as she sucked up all the noodles in one go. "All those hormones floating in the air..."  
"Dessert, Misato?" Shinji interrupted, getting out of his seat and going for the fridge when he saw that, amazingly, the woman had nearly finished all of her dinner.

"YOU BETCHA!"

Several minutes later, the lavender-haired woman gave off a loud sigh as she leaned back in her seat in satisfaction. "Ah, Shinji. You've done it again! If I knew you could cook this well, I would've requested that you stay with _me_!"

"Er..." he coughed. The first time he had visited Misato's apartment, he didn't know how the woman could live in such filth. No amount of military talent or good looks could make up for the fact she was a total slob. It would be a nightmare to clean.

Rei, though certainly not a slob, was initially detached from her surroundings, and most of the cleaning tasks were delegated to Shinji. Now, however, even though the two hadn't spoken in days she took more of an effort into managing herself, taking out the trash bins when they were full or vacuuming – a far cry from her former dingy apartment which was full of trash and grime.

"Excuse me," the girl in question said softly, after washing her dish. "I'm going to take a shower."  
Shinji gave her a nod and a smile, a smile which Rei nearly returned before a strange look passed over her and she walked off in a daze.

Misato looked at her with a frown, even as she turned to him questioningly.

The young man sighed. "It's nothing. We just had a little disagreement several days ago." Shinji stacked the dishes on top of each other, piling them into the sink even as he turned on the hot water. "It's a little odd right now since she's acting exactly like when we first met."

"Disagreement over what?"

"...ideologies," he answered calmly as he cleaned the remainder of the dishes.

"Hmm..." Misato stared up at the ceiling in thought. "I see." Then she sighed. "Well, then, that's difficult. You can't tell her how to live her life."

"I know... but then why should others believe they can?" Shinji answered mysteriously even as he finished cleaning, putting them to the side.

"True. But that's part of her choice, isn't it?" She pointed out. "Rei's been on her own for a while now – no family, no friends even since she hasn't exactly got a personality for making friends. It's only natural you two would clash at some point."  
"Still... we've been getting on so well."

"In that case, then the only thing to do would be to wait it out. Give her some time by herself to think."

Shinji smiled slightly. "Thanks. You know, Misato, you're a lot smarter than you look."

Misato brightened. "Thanks... hey!" she growled, her face red even as Shinji burst into laughter.

-SW-

"Stop pushing me, Kensuke!"  
"If I don't push you, you're never going to do it!"  
"I will, but he's busy!"  
"For a tough jock, you sure are a wuss!"

"Shut it!"  
Shinji set down his bento, turning to the not-so-subtle bickering pair behind him. "Is there something I can help you two with?" He asked.

Toji and Kensuke looked sheepish when they realised how childish they seemed, and straightened up. "Well... Toji has something to say to you."

Shinji raised an eyebrow.

Kensuke gave the boy a sharp elbow before he finally stepped forward. "Hey, new kid... I'm just here to say – well, sorry for trying to beat you up," the tall jock apologised. "When my sister heard about what I tried to do... she forced me to come and say sorry since you saved all our lives."

"So you're not really sorry, you're just saying you are?" Shinji questioned.

Toji flushed. "N-No! I really am sorry! I was just angry and upset about what happened to my sister..."

"Don't worry, I'm just messing with you," the Sith chuckled. "Come on, have a seat."

The whole time he ate, the geeky Kensuke was simply staring at him, as if he wanted to ask something. Toji however was simply content to sit and relax, looking up at the clouds.

"You look like you have something you want to ask me," Shinji finally said as he finished off his lunch. "Kensuke Aida, was it?"

Toji groaned. "Oh, here we go..."

"Are there other Evas? Are NERV looking for pilots?" Kensuke asked Shinji with an almost pitiable desperation in his tone.

"There are other Evas, but it's not exactly something you sign up for," he chuckled. "If NERV wanted you to pilot, trust me... you'd know."

"Figures," Kensuke said glumly, fingering his camcorder before perking up. "But you're an Eva pilot! You can definitely tell me what it's like!"  
Shinji blinked. "Not to be rude, or whatever... but why are you so interested in the Eva?"

At this Kensuke burst from his seat. "Are you kidding? Evangelion is the ultimate war machine! The pinnacle of military achievement! A weapon of ultimate mass destruction!" His glasses flashed in the light even as he pulled off a ridiculous pose. "And therefore... it is AWESOME!"

Silence.

Toji slapped his forehead in embarrassment even as Shinji looked sheepish. "Well... that's, uh, very nice Kensuke."

"You gotta tell me about the Evangelions Shinji!" Kensuke begged, falling on his knees. " I HAVE to know about them, no matter what!"

"Is he... normally like this?" Shinji asked with a frown.

Toji shrugged. "Most of the time, unfortunately. Since he's a real military geek and all that."

Shinji filed that away as a potentially interesting point even as Kensuke continued to rant about the greatness of the Eva.

Because the boy's surface thoughts were being broadcast so loudly, Shinji had no problem accessing them. Surprisingly, he had found something of merit – the boy had made a recording of his previous battle, though had yet to use it, instead hoarding it privately and rather jealously like a treasured possession. He added a slight suggestion, one that went unnoticed in the geeky boy's excited mind, and hopefully one that would boost his public status dramatically.

-SW-

Gendo narrowed his eyes behind his glasses, even as he looked at the report from Ritsuko in front of him. "Do you have anyway of finding the culprit?"

On the report, in a large picture, was an Internet screenshot of a video site. The particular video in question, was one of the fight between the Fourth Angel and Evangelion.

And it had well over several hundred million views – it was the most popular video on the Internet.

Ritsuko cleared her throat. "We've tried tracing the IP address, but it looks like the video was uploaded through a public terminal. Furthermore, the user account and details are all entirely phony as well, making it even harder."

"I see. I want security around the shelters to be tightened in case this happens ago. If it remains an isolated incident, however, disregard it. Any resources used to find the uploader will ultimately be wasteful," Gendo dismissed. "And have the Public Relations department sweep this under the rug."

Mentally, Ritsuko sighed. _It looks like you're a bit out of touch with the times Commander. _"With all due respect sir, this isn't exactly something that can be swept 'under the rug'. The video has spread through to thousands, if not millions of sites. Many people have most likely already downloaded and made copies of it. In fact, NERV Intelligence has already acquired the plans for tomorrow's headlines from one of Japan's biggest media networks." She pulled a copy of a newspaper out of her coat.

Gendo frowned – splayed across the entire page, was a picture of Unit 01 crouched, mid-roar, with its progressive knife in one hand. In the distance, the visage of the Fourth Angel could be clearly made out. The headlines were surprisingly blunt, but no less sensational: SECRET WEAPON IN ANGEL WARS UNVEILED!

But what was most disturbing of all, below it, in a small box, was a picture of the Third Child, sitting at his desk in class, his quiet confidence and strength of character plain for all to see even as he conversed with some other students.

"This isn't going to be just in the Japanese headlines tomorrow. With information spreading as fast as it is nowadays, I'd wager every single major country with access to Internet connection will know about this," Ritsuko stated confidently. "It'll be on television, social linking sites, photos, merchandise by people wanting to cash in – for this level of exposure it's absolutely impossible for NERV PR to control, much less restrict."

Gendo leaned back in his chair. While the identity of the Eva pilots were no major secret, the fact that it had gotten out this fast had been frankly astonishing to say the least, considering the video had been up for less than a day. Already people had made the right connections – the Evangelion was a piloted weapon, and its pilot's identity would be known by everyone.  
He could already sense that Ritsuko had something in mind. "Then what are you proposing, Doctor?"

"We let it grow and we capitalise on it," she stated. "Let the public have what they want – leaked information about certain, select portions of the Evangelions. Not only will be a great boost in public trust for NERV, it could also make things a lot easier later on."  
Gendo's calculative mind was racing even as he considered these new possibilities. No doubt the old men would have a fit once they found out something like this had occurred – however, since the identity of the culprit was unknown it would be relatively easy for him to hint he had deliberately leaked it out. The result would not be a public scandal – but rather a public spectacle. With proper manipulation he could even find increased funding.

However this would have to be played correctly. Since the Evangelions and NERV were more out in the open, they were also more vulnerable to criticism and negative press that would inevitably follow. If NERV worked quickly though, the benefits would far outweigh the negatives. "Very well. Inform the PR Department they have my consent to do whatever they think is necessary to take advantage of this."  
"Understood, sir, I'll get right on it," Ritsuko promised.

As she left, Fuyutsuki, who had been silently standing behind the Commander the entire time, spoke up. "You do know that as the pilot of Unit 01 and the one who defeated the Third and Fourth Angels, Shinji will become, officially or unofficially, the 'poster boy' of Evangelion and this entire war."

"Yes." Gendo answered. Inwardly however he had a niggling feeling about his son's involvement in this. The boy had proven he was more than capable of being manipulative and clever – he could certainly see him doing something like this.

These feelings however were soon dismissed. The Third, whatever his capability, was still merely a child and to concoct a long-term plan like this took too many variables, too many unknown. Furthermore the guards he had stationed around him as well as the numerous bugs and surveillance devices he had stationed reported no strange activity.

And besides, the amount of publicity the Third would get would immediately offset any advantage he had to gain from this. Gendo's impression of the boy was one that preferred working directly for things of immediate benefit, and he did not see any immediate for the boy who, despite his selfish motivations preferred to lead a mostly introverted existence.

-SW-

Wielding his practise sword, Shinji panted with sweat as he went through his katas and forms at a rapid pace, so fast that to others he was but a blur of motion.

His subliminal suggestion had worked out better than he had hoped. Within a day of uploading the video, Unit 01 had become universally recognised, a symbol of mankind's efforts against the invading Angels. Every media outlet in the world was talking about it, and NERV, seeing no way to circumvent this decided to accept it and control it. Already they had called for a news conference, one in which they leaked out a few dripping details, just enough to satisfy curiosity but also not enough that the media wouldn't want _more._

But most importantly, Shinji Ikari was also universally recognised, as the person who piloted it.  
As soon as he stepped foot in school he was swarmed by countless numbers of journalists, bugging him for questions, statements, or interviews. People lined up outside his classroom, begging for autographs, and the principal was forced to ask them to leave – even though he too wanted an autograph for his younger daughter.

He had already consented to accept an exclusive interview, one that would be taking place live this weekend. Shinji was getting paid quite well to do so, though he was clever to maintain his 'reluctant hero' facade.

With a twirl and salute, Shinji finished his final set of katas. "Good evening, Rei."

A cool breeze blew through the roof of the apartment building, ruffling Rei's hair, even though she stood as still and as silent as a statue. Her unnatural red eyes stared blankly at Shinji as he took a sip from his water bottle and turned to face her. "Have you come to tell me I'm wrong?"

No response. Shinji sighed. He didn't expect any. Rei, as per her upbringing, was a reactive, not active person – though he used the word 'reactive' as loosely as possible.

Though now Rei had sought him out of her own accord. However Shinji doubted that she herself knew the reason why.

After wiping his face of sweat, Shinji sat down. "The first day we met, I asked you why you piloted Eva. You answered that Eva provided you a bond to other people. Yet you yourself have found it difficult to forge bonds, outside of my father even though bonds are clearly important to you. Why are they important, if you truly place no value on your own existence? If they ultimately will not matter?"

As Shinji walked towards him, Rei unconsciously took a step back, her eyes widening slightly as she realised her reflex action.

This was not the Shinji that she had come to know in their time at the apartment – or if it was, this was a side that she had not seem. His form seemed to shift and warp before her very eyes, growing darker and more terrible even as he seemed to tower over her.

In some ways she saw much of Commander Ikari in him – however, unlike the Commander, who was cold and impassive, this seemed different. Shinji seemed to manifest an aura of cold fury and hate, ruthlessly subdued until he should call for them instead of unleashing them, like holding tightly onto the chains of hungry tigers that were eager to devour her.

And in a blink the monstrous visage disappeared, even though Shinji's face had changed in a dark manner.

"That time when we first met... you felt it didn't you? My emotions." Shinji asked calmly.

"Yes." Rei said quietly.

"Let me tell you something. I felt your emotions as well." Shinji said with a chilling smile. "Tell me of your misery, Rei. Tell me of your pain." And suddenly, the dark aura seemed to manifest once more, in a single burst, so powerful and sudden that the girl felt a maelstrom of emotions rise up in her.

Something wet fell onto her hand. _What is this? _She raised her hand to see a droplet of water. _Is this a tear? Am I crying?_

"What do you desire, Rei?" Shinji asked, and in that moment, she felt compelled to answer.

"I desire despair. I desire nothingness." The words came out of her without thought, without question. And even as she spoke those words, she felt... something in her. Something that was warm, that offset the suddenness of her tears.

"As I thought. Desires that originally came about out of your own will to perish." Shinji stated thoughtfully. "But now you have no will to die. You despair instead of your meaningless existence. Through the Commander, you acquired a purpose for your existence, but you also feel nothingness as it is not a purpose you chose. I, however, can give you another existence. An existence where your purpose is your own."

Shinji walked towards her, leaning into her ear. "But I'll not _make _you. Unlike my father, who forced you into a purpose not your own, I will let you choose whether or not to believe my words. Then, if you do follow me, you follow me of your own will, to make your own destiny. _That_ I can guarantee." He walked away. "I can teach you the true _meaning_ of despair and nothingness. I can teach you how to bond to others without your Evangelion. After all... bonds of despair are just as strong as those of bonds of friendship."

-SW-

On Saturday, Shinji left his apartment at the very crack of dawn, carrying with him a duffel bag of necessary items.

Though externally the fortress was virtually impenetrable, internally however NERV's security defences were surprisingly sparse – it wasn't that they didn't exist, it was just that the level of security seemed... lacking, given that NERV was foremost in charge of defending humanity against unknown invaders.

Still, the absolute size of NERV HQ proved a challenge for the Sith, even though he was more than well-versed in the tactics of stealth and subterfuge.

The main problem was that since the entire base was electronically synched to the MAGI supercomputers, to gain full access to the many different levels of the NERV base he would need to somehow gain access. Given the complexity of the MAGI the only one who could use it to the extent that he required was Doctor Ritsuko Akagi.

This naturally posed some problems. Though he had gauged some of her character from their various levels of interactions, the woman was still a mystery to him. Her motivations still remained unclear, as to the extent of the relationship between Ritsuko and his father. Though they were cool and cordial with each other in the base, he could feel from the Force that all was not as it seemed.

Having her as an ally would be a triumph. A brilliant, intelligent woman, Shinji was all but certain she would be able to replicate the technology from Master Bane's galaxy. Furthermore, as the Head of Project-E she would undoubtedly have more insight into NERV's inner workings and its true goals, and possessed intricate knowledge of the Evangelions.

Again, her mystery had naturally made Terros cautious. He would need to build up his base of power first before attempting anything – after all, it was far too early in the game to try and acquire such a high-level piece, and in order to convince her, Terros would need to prove that _he _was holding all the cards.

Looking up, Terros smirked as he reached his destination. It was a harbour in one of the older districts of Tokyo-3. Since the water had long-dried in this particular area, it was out of use and abandoned, the gate locked and the area walled off.

Effortlessly, Terros made an impossible leap with the assistance of the Force, bounding over the wall in a single jump and landing on the other side gracefully. He glanced around, his senses wary and alert as he walked across the harbour, even though he knew that nobody came here.

Taking a key out of his pocket, Shinji walked up to a large stack of shipping containers, piled on top of each other to reach the height of the warehouse it was right up next to.

If one happened to be observant, they would have noticed that unlike the other shipping containers, there was one that not only was on ground level but also possessed a distinctly newer lock than the rest.

Unlocking the container door, Shinji stepped in, making sure to close it behind him even as he walked towards the container's other end. With a small grunt, he slid the large wooden case to the side, revealing light filtering in through a narrow opening.

Squeezing in, Shinji looked up at what was once a very large trading warehouse.

Many of the shipping containers had been piled off to the sides – Shinji had practised his Force telekinesis to do so, creating a very large clearing aside from the scraps and rubbish littering the ground. Murky sunlight filtered in through the windows, covered with grim and dirt from years of negligence. And, barring the way to the normal entrance was a large rubble pile and broken shipping containers.

It was the perfect hideout... and the perfect place to begin his plans.

Going up a walkway that had thankfully remained in good condition, Shinji stepped into the master office, which had been cleared out for his use.

Against one of the walls was a large wooden table – Shinji walked over to it and put his duffle bag down, taking out many of the items he had 'pinched' from NERV.

NERV was once a research institute, and from the number of laboratories and the broad inventory of scientific supplies this was immediately clear. He was certain that what he had 'borrowed' wouldn't go unmissed, and they could be easily replaced if needed.

He had everything he needed, from the most basic to the most advanced. Dropping off a lab coat, a pack of surgical gloves and protective goggles, Shinji began setting up his little lab, putting down test tubes, beakers, tongs, and similar equipment neatly together. He set up the hi-tech, specialised NERV microscope and camcorder to the side, hooking it up to a NERV laptop, also 'borrowed'.

And then he began putting down things that were much more primitive, things such as a stone pot or a variety of hammers. Shinji would eventually be getting more items, but these were all essential to his intentions: Sith alchemy.

Darth Bane had read several treatises published by Naga Sadow, the Dark Lord considered by many to be the greatest master of Sith alchemy. He was more than able to instruct Shinji in the essentials of the precise art and its many uses.

Even from an early age science had been one of Shinji's strongest suits, fitting his patience and keen intellect. His initial knowledge of science was greatly augmented by learning about Sith alchemy, about things that even the greatest scientists on this Earth were far from discovering.

His laboratory was extremely basic but it would serve its purpose well. Shinji, though he was a proper Sith, lacked a true Sith weapon, a blade. Sith metallurgy would give him what he needed in order to create such a weapon.

Today, his main purpose however was different. He wanted to see for himself how potent the flesh of the Angels was, as he turned on the camcorder. "This is Darth Terros, conducting my first test on what NERV designates an 'Angel', an alien race with extraordinary capabilities but most importantly an unbelievable connection to the Force. This one is officially designated the 'Third' Angel."

_Akagi may be NERV's foremost scientist... but even a scientist stumbles around in the dark in matters of the Force. _Taking a scalpel, he cut off a small slice of the piece of the Third Angel, preserved in a vial which he brought with him. "Flesh is tough, but surprisingly malleable." Shinji commented as he held the piece up to the light, flexing it gently with his fingers. "The texture is smooth, much like human flesh in some respects." He blinked his eyes in surprise as a red substance coated his glove-covered finger. "It also has blood, blood the same colour and similar consistency as that of humans also."  
Terros placed the flesh on a small plastic slide even as he turned on the microscope, and activated the lens.

"Under microscopic evaluation... everything about the flesh is consistently similar to that of humans. It seems I have confirmed Doctor Akagi's analysis of the Angels. They are almost like... close relations, given our near match in DNA. Today, I will try to find out why that small difference has resulted in such a radical change."

Terros took another slide and wiped it with a swab of the Angel's blood before putting a few drops of an experimental stain, switching to a much more powerful lens even as he closed one eye and took another look. "Incredible... again, the Angel blood shows a remarkable likeness to that of humanity. However, I don't see any traces of what could cause its extraordinary Force-sensitivity, even though humans possess midi-chlorian cells, which reside of course in the blood. Perhaps..." Making sure the microscope was connected to the laptop and recording every moment, Terros gently brought his finger towards the blood sample, and channel a little bit of the Force into it.

When there was no luck, he increased his output, slowly, and as he reached a point where he was putting in a considerable amount of Force energy, something he did not expect to see happened.

To his shock, within the blood a strange, white-grey mass began to make itself known, expanding at a rate that was clearly a direct correlation to the amount of Force energy pumped into it. "Amazing..." he breathed. "These aren't midi-chlorians at all, yet they're clearly conducting the Force. What are these? The precursor, a less-evolved version of the midi-chlorian cells? Or something completely different?" Shinji removed his hand, and watched as the mass seemed to shimmer. "It's moving..." his eyes widened as he saw something remarkable take place. "The blood cells are moving as well. Though they were dead, somehow the grey matter brought them back to life."

Finally, Shinji switched the lens to its strongest settings, and took in a deep breath before looking down once more. "The grey mass seems to be a sort of thin membrane... I can see a network of millions of interconnecting microscopic fibres and filaments, yet it's transparent enough to allow for the blood cells to pass through. It's clearly something far more radical than midi-chlorians and conducts the Force at a far faster rate... almost like an electric superconductor network. Whether this mass is intelligent, like midi-chlorians, is another matter." He closed his eyes, rubbing his temples even as he took off his gloves. "Master Bane told me that without midi-chlorians, life could not exist. Even without the right equipment I'm almost certain that this 'Angel' possesses no midi-chlorians at all – something that should be impossible, begging the question of what exactly these things are."

He raised the fragment of the S2 core, narrowing his eyes.

-SW-

"Shinji."

"Good morning, Rei," Shinji responded, turning a page in his thick medical textbook. He glanced up, making eye contact with her in an attempt to be friendly.

"I wish to talk about what you said on the balcony."

The Sith had slowly turned up his radio to maximum volume, deafening him as he was sitting right next to it but drowning out her words. He stood up, motioning for Rei to follow him as they went outside to the apartment roof once more.

"So... what is it Rei? Are you considering my offer? Or do you want more clarification?" Shinji asked once they were looking out over the Tokyo-3 skyline.

"You told me that you could show me the true meaning of my despair and nothingness. I would like clarification on what you meant by this." Rei answered in her quiet tone.

"Before I do that... let me ask you something Rei. What do you consider of your emotions? The feelings you get from your solitude? Things such _as_ despair and nothingness?" Shinji questioned, his personality shifting once more to that cold fury.

Unconsciously, Rei's body tensed in response. In this persona, there was something about him that was now unsettling to her broken spirit. But this time, Rei replied fully, and without obscurity. "Inconsequential. My purpose is all I have," she said.

"Are you satisfied with this?" Shinji questioned. "If you had a chance, would you seek to overturn this? To correct your condition?"

"Impossible. I am replaceable. A tool. This is acceptable to me."

"If it were really acceptable to you then you would have informed Commander Ikari of what really had happened that time the Third Angel attacked... like a good little puppet," Shinji answered, making Rei's eyes slightly widen in surprise. "But you didn't. Even that by itself shows doubt, confusion... things a tool should not feel. Therefore, your situation as a tool is to you not as acceptable as you believe." Shinji began pacing around her. "Despair. Pain. Emptiness. You try to ignore these emotions, but ignoring what you feel is weakness. It makes you incomplete, like you are now. Emptiness is not necessarily an absence of emotion, but can be an emotion in itself, a human response designed to numb pain. Just another feeling in our broad palette of human expressions, and just as relevant as those commonly considered, such as fear, anger or happiness." He gave her a cold smile, even as Rei took in what he was telling her. "And they will give you _power_."

"Why would I want power?"

"Because we _all_ want power – power to defeat others, to change our lives, our circumstances, our situations. If I had more power I could have defeated the last two Angels faster – enough power and I wouldn't even need to get into my Evangelion."  
"That is impossible. No amount of 'power' could defeat an Angel without an Evangelion."

In response Shinji smirked. "...really?" he questioned mockingly. "Your view of power is rather narrow but that is irrelevant for now. Let me tell you about something... something called the Force."

Rei furrowed her brow. "I have not heard of any power called 'the Force'."

"Of course you haven't, though in reality it is all around us. It's an energy field, one that binds us and the entire universe. And it can give you power."  
"How?"

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion," Shinji began reciting. "Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. And through victory... my chains are broken. The Force shall free me." He turned to face her once more. "I can teach you to have power. And when you have power, you shall have victory, victory over your enemies, your circumstances. And what comes after a victory?"

"The... breaking of chains," Rei answered, even as she slowly realised Shinji's words. _Is it true? If I embrace my fear, my despair and my emptiness...I can gain my own purpose? I can find a new existence?_

"Precisely. The Force can break your chains of bondage, Rei. The Force can free you of your servitude. I can help you learn to use it, but in order to do so, you must stop resisting and embrace those emotions you so fear." Shinji leaned forward. "The Commander wants to use you like a tool, Rei! You may not be angry at him... but to claim you have no emotions in your condition is foolish and impossible. Use the emotions you have from your plight. Use them _against_ him. I will teach you how to draw power from them in order to do so."

The albino girl contemplated all that she was being told, before formulating a response. _Do I... want to resist the Commander? But I cannot. He made me._

Another voice rose up inside her. _But Shinji can teach you how to. _

_But why do I want to?_

_You do, _the voice answered.

_I am not human. I am just a being with a false soul. _Rei thought. _My purpose is to serve the Commander. _

_You feel, therefore you are. _The voice resonated within her very being even as its words struck true. _Serving the Commander brings you despair and loneliness, a disagreeable and painful state. __Therefore, you must leave that state of being. _

"Then..." Rei closed her eyes. "I would like to learn this power you speak of."

Shinji simply gave her a cold smirk even though internally he was filled with glee.

He had found his apprentice.

-SW-

"Yo man, why'd you shoot that lady?"  
"I thought she was gonna call the cops, alright?"

"Both of you stop causing a racket," Rags snapped in anger as he pulled open the bag they got him, rummaging through it. "What the hell is this crap?" He raised a stuffed bunny. "What are we, three?"

The gangsters all looked at each other incredulously before turning to the one in question.  
"I thought we could use it for hiding drugs! Like, in the movies man! For hiding pot and weed and stuff!" He stated proudly.

The burly gangster smacked his face in exasperation. "Next time stick to the list!" He turned to his right-hand man. "And you, Kyu! Why didn't you stop them?"

The gangster in question shrugged. "You know how it is with them. I just stopped them from doing anything _really_ stupid."

Rags sat back in his seat, rolling his eyes in disbelief. "What's up with you guys? The last two jobs we did were complete messes! We lost a lot of rep, and not to mention our toughest guy was killed in a hit."

"Sorry, boss," one of the thugs said sheepishly.

"I'm sure it's just a bit of bad luck, that's all, like a phase," another added helpfully. "It'll pass."

"I thought I taught you all that there's no SUCH THING as luck!" Rags growled in anger. "Put away anything useful in the cases. Tomorrow I want you all to come with some ideas! Don't forget why we're doing all this! We want to be known! To be feared, right?"

"Uh... hey, boss!" A bald-headed thug raised his hand. "I have an idea!"  
Rags rubbed his temples. "I'm almost afraid to ask... okay, what?"

"How about we attack NERV?"

Silence.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?" Rags shouted, leaping out of his seat. "What kind of an IDIOT would attack a Government sanctioned agency that's housed in an impenetrable fortress? Not to mention the fact they have weapons capable of levelling the entire city! _Please_, for the love of Kami, don't tell me that was your idea!"

The thug shrivelled under his intense glare. "Actually, it wasn't my idea..." he admitted, raising a finger. "He told me to say it."  
Rags' eyes widened as a cloaked man made his way through the crowd of gangsters. _How did he get inside? _"Intruder!"

With lightning speed, the gangster to his side whipped out his pistol – only to watch in astonishment as it was wrenched out of his grip, as if by an invisible rope, flying into the hands of the cloaked intruder.

"Nice reflexes," the intruder said in a low, cool tone. "Unfortunately the rest of your little gang fail to perform."  
Rags couldn't help but feel a hint of embarrassment. Many of his crew had reacted too slowly and had half-drawn their weapon, with several having not pulled out their weapons at all, preferring instead to jump out of the way. And still others had, unfortunately, either tangled their weapons in their holster or were struggling to load a magazine in. "What do you want?" He demanded. "And why are you here?"

"Simple, I'm here to offer you an opportunity, one that comes once in a lifetime," the man stated.

"Beat it! We're the Red Dragons! We don't need _anything _from you!" One thug roared, launching himself into a tackle.

Before he got there, however, the man raised a hand and the gangster's eyes bulged out of their sockets as an invisible force gripped his throat, choking him. Slowly, the energy pulled him up, suspending him in mid-air, before he was ruthlessly thrown aside, hitting the wall and getting knocked out.

"I thought your gang was discreet – a perfect balance of force and subtlety," the figure commented in disappointment. "Perhaps I should take my offer to a gang who can actually get things done... like the Royals, for instance."  
Bristling at the slight and the mention of their enemy gang, Rags jumped to his feet. "Enough!" He shouted, quelling any more gang foolishness. "What is it you want?"

"Simple. I want you to be my invisible fist, my knife in the dark, a sword that cuts from an angle the enemy can't see. And your first enemy is NERV."

At that, the shouting and protests began – though Rags, as an experienced leader, pulled out his weapon and fired it into the air. "The next person that speaks out of line will pay a visit to the bottom of the ocean," he stated. "Now tell us. Why would you ask this of us? And what would we get out of it?"

Despite being behind a hood and shadowy mask you could feel the man's smirk. "Reputation. Infamy. A chance to be remembered forever. Lives that won't end in some bloody drive-by or in prison. And of course, more materialistic things such as money."

"Boss... you're not seriously considering him, are you?" Kyu asked, leaning in to whisper in his ear.

Rags narrowed his eyes. "Just because we're in a bad state now doesn't mean we're desperate enough to accept suicide missions. No criminal empire would dare attack an organisation as powerful and as important as NERV. They practically run the entire country."

"Which is why it will work," the man answered. "You'll be given weapons. Training. Resources. Things that are on another level to what criminals could acquire by themselves."

The gang leader raised his hand. "Everybody get out, and let me speak to this guy alone." When none of them looked like they were going to move he sighed in annoyance before raising his voice. "I said OUT!"

One by one, the gang members shuffled out of the hideout, leaving Rags and the man alone.."

"Before this month I would never have considered the word of a man who managed to break into our hideout and do a few magic tricks," he grumbled. "But what you're asking for is still impossible. NERV is funded directly by the UN. We would _never_ win."

"I don't need you to win, I simply need you to make them bleed," he answered confidently. "Make the world see that NERV is not as all-powerful as it seemed. And when their blood hits the water... that's when the sharks come."

Rags stroked his beard thoughtfully. What he said hadn't alleviated his fears at all. There were still too many ways this could go wrong. But at the same time, they were in a desperate situation. Their gang needed a way to make people fear them. "Fine. I'll do it, on a few conditions. First, if you're as powerful as you claim you are, I want you to get all of our members released from their prisons. And the best training possible, for as long as need be." At the very least, if the training was good enough he would have hardened soldiers that could be used against him.

"Your conditions are acceptable," the man said. "Welcome, Red Dragons. I am Darth Terros." The pair shook hands. "Oh, and by the way... those _weren't_ magic tricks."


	5. The Flying Fortress

"It is my honour to have here today in an exclusive interview for J-TV Studios, the young pilot of Evangelion Unit 01 and who many have started dubbing the 'hero of mankind', Shinji Ikari. How are you this morning, Mr. Ikari?" The newswoman asked in a kindly tone.

Dressed smartly in a dark blue turtleneck shirt and formal jeans, Shinji gave the lady a small considerable smile. "I'm doing good, thank you."

"A lot of things have been said about you – for example, a columnist in New York called you the 'poster boy for an inhumane organisation'. Others, as I have said before, praise you for being a hero. How do you take it all in?" she asked curiously.

"I try not to think about it," Shinji answered earnestly. "Obviously there will always be detractors and there will always be admirers - that's just human nature, and they're all entitled to their opinion. All I know is that I'm trying to do what I can to keep my friends and family safe."

"That's a very humble and mature outlook," the journalist observed.

Shinji chuckled. "I've had to grow up quickly. It would be nice to think I could just go about my life as normal but with my duties as a pilot I can't just do nothing."

"So it never sinks in? The pressure and burden of 'protecting the world', the enormous weight on your shoulders?"

"Well..." the young man looked sheepish. "When you put it that way, yeah, there is a bit of pressure isn't there?" The crew in the studio joined in on his laugh – Shinji glanced to the side, to see Misato giving him a thumb up and a grin. "But in all honesty, I know the odds, and I know what happens if I lose."

"And what happens?" the lady pressed.

Shinji's mouth was set in a thin line, his face hardening. "Quite simple: game over."

All previous humour evaporated as the mood in the studio grew sombre.

"Mr. Ikari, don't you think you're oversimplifying a bit?"  
"I am not oversimplifying at all. If the Evangelion fails, we lose."

"What about the JSSDF or the National Reserve? Surely you're not trying to undermine..."

"That wasn't my intention at all. What I'm trying to say is that the JSSDF nor National Reserve were built for a threat of this scale," Shinji argued. "We don't know when the next Angel will strike, or how strong it could be. The Third and Fourth Angels were nigh-invulnerable to conventional weaponry, it's likely the Fifth will be even more powerful. The Evangelions were built for the sole _purpose_ of fighting the Angels. I'm not saying that our military forces aren't up to the task of handling the Angel – I'm just afraid of the losses we will incur in order to do so."

"As I recall, the damage inflicted to the city during the battle between the Third Angel and the Evangelion was significant," the newswoman reflected.

"That's right, but what you're forgetting is that the Angel took an N2 mine at _point-blank_ and continued straight into the heart of the city," Shinji answered. "The eventual damages were significant – true. But without the Evangelion, you can't possibly deny that even if they won they might have levelled Tokyo-3 to do so."

The newswoman frowned, subtly moving her hand to her ear as an advisor asked to pose a question. "You had an interesting choice of words just before – you said that the _Evangelions _were built for the purpose of fighting the Angels – however doesn't that fall under NERV's jurisdiction?"

Shinji smiled mysteriously. "That _was_ an interesting choice of words, wasn't it?" He leaned back in his seat. "I may be just a pilot, but even I know of NERV's fame... or infamy, depending on how you look at it. And there have certainly been a lot of horror stories regarding it. I don't know whether they're true, and I don't _want_ to know whether they're true." His eyes became firm. "All I know is that the Evangelions are meant to be used against the Angels. That is its purpose, and as its pilot, that's _my_ purpose. One day, perhaps, NERV may have to front up and admit whether or not it has swept things under the rug. But even on that day, Evangelion will still be needed, because none of us know when the next Angel could strike."

"Gotta say, Shinji, you certainly know how to talk!" Misato stated with a grin as they drove back home. "You made yourself look good out there! I bet that all the ladies will want a piece of you when you go out tomorrow!"

"But not you, right, Misato?" Shinji wittily rebuffed, looking out the window.

"Hohoho! It'll take more than a few sweet words to sweep me off my feet!" the woman laughed. "Don't think I'll let the _heroic _Evangelion pilot take advantage of me that easily!"

"But, at the end of the day, you would let me take advantage of you?" Shinji smirked. "Trust me, I'm definitely not some little boy, Misato."

"N-Now you watch yourself there, mister!" The head of operations cursed her slight stammer even as she blushed lightly. Truthfully, she couldn't help but admire the boy's indomitable spirit and charisma. Even despite being thrown in all of this headfirst, he was doing an amazing job of coping, especially for someone so young. And with the level of maturity and kindness he had shown, in taking care of Rei along with frequently inviting Misato over for dinner or helping her clean her apartment – it was like he didn't have a bad bone in him.

Also, few had the nerve to retort so... directly to her teasing.

Thankfully, Misato's cellphone began ringing. She swiftly picked it up, even as she twisted the wheel, the car jolting around with a screech. "Katsuragi here... yes...yes... I'll be there at once."

"Who was that?" Shinji asked as she put it down. Her tone had immediately changed as soon as she picked it up, to an authoritative voice that Shinji easily identified with that of an experienced soldier. Chances were that it was NERV.

"It's the Commander. We're to go in and see him," Misato explained as she sharply turned the next corner.

Not even batting an eye at her driving, Shinji leaned back in his seat. _Father, huh? I think I know what he wants..._

-SW-

The first thing Shinji thought as he was led into the NERV Commander's office was that it really needed some more lights.

_Really now, it's nearly pitch-black in here,_ he thought cynically as he glanced to the Section-Two agents leading him to the Commander, who sat at his desk in his typical pose. Fuyutsuki, his right-hand man, was ever faithfully standing at his side.

Shinji was undeterred by the Commander's petty intimidation tactics. Before anyone could stop him, he sauntered forward boldly, savouring his father's look of shock as he jumped and sat on the desk, turning his head to face his father. "So, what's happening, old man?"

The click of Section-Two's guns could be heard as they raised their weapons and cocked them in reaction to the potential threat. Shinji however was unfazed by this, as he continued to look at his father with an infuriating smugness that made even the cool Commander annoyed, as evidenced by the narrowing of his eyes.

"You will remove yourself, pilot," Gendo stated in a low, hard voice.

"Roger, _Commander,_" Shinji said with dripping sarcasm as he stood up and moved back to a more respectable distance, the agents lowering their weapons warily as he did so. "So... don't tell me you want to enter the Father-Son dance competition."

Fuyutsuki quickly masked his laugh with a cough, even as he straightened up, trying desperately not to smile at the boy's cheek. Gendo however didn't rise to his provocation. "Please explain your actions today, pilot."

Shinji gave a nonchalant shrug. "Well... I woke up, brushed my teeth, then made breakfast, which consisted of..."

"Do not try to joke around with me!" The Commander snapped, his usually calm tone slowly morphing into a growl. "As the pilot of Evangelion Unit-01, you are NERV's representative. Therefore, anything you say will be reflected on our organisation!"  
"Obviously, though I fail to see how this is relevant."

"It is relevant because you have confirmed, on NERV's behalf no less, many malicious rumours that have plagued our organisation since its inception!"

"I never said anything of the sort," Shinji dismissed.

"But you insinuated it with your words."

"I did not," the young Sith countered once more. "I think you're overreacting, father, because from my perspective I did not confirm or deny NERV's guilt."  
"Explain yourself."

"As you have stated beforehand, there are plenty of rumours going on in the outside world about how NERV operates and how it is run," Shinji began. "It would be impossible to squash those rumours, and to do so would create unnecessary suspicion. Due to this, denying them would be an equally foolish endeavour."

"I fail to see how it is 'foolish'," Gendo said, a sneer forming from behind his poised hands.

"Because outright denial only inevitably provokes further interest," Shinji stated. "Especially to journalists, who will spend hours dissecting my comments. If these rumours are unfounded, then we have nothing to worry about and they will be chasing shadows. If the rumours are true, however, it would cast suspicion on how much NERV was involved if even a lowly pilot was denying the allegations. By merely deflecting the allegations, I have bought us a window of time and provided an opportunity for plausible deniability. Furthermore, I emphasised the world's necessity of our fine organisation." The Sith gave a slight smirk. "I was actually doing you a favour."

Gendo took a moment to take all this in. "In the future, should another public event occur where you are directly involved and asked questions pertaining to the running of this organisation a manuscript will be provided detailing agendas that can and cannot be talked about to the press. Dismissed, pilot."  
Shinji gave a mocking salute before turning and walking out, escorted by the Section-Two personnel.

As soon as the door closed Fuyutsuki made his opinion known. "You don't really believe any of that, do you?"

"One does not get to my position without being able to distil falsehood from truth," the Commander answered coolly, his glasses flashing in the dim light. "Especially when the falsehoods are so easily perceived."

"I'm surprised, Ikari. I thought there would be repercussions for sure, considering the severity of his actions – I mean, our PR department will be in overdrive for months!"

"Perhaps later in time, if the boy continues to cross boundaries, he will then learn his place. However I have allowed him a bit of leeway considering his current efficiency against the Angels. Like all teenagers, if he is placated he will continue to be under our thumb."

Fuyutsuki shook his head. "Then you don't think..."  
"You have seen for yourself, sensei, the kind of person the Third is. I have compiled a significant amount of surveillance data from his social interactions and will soon have Doctor Akagi create a psychological profile to be filed away. The boy is selfish and narrow-minded, only thinking of himself – and this can be useful."

"And his... display, earlier today?"

"A pitiful attempt to dissociate himself from NERV, due to the unfounded rumours plaguing us," Gendo dismissed. "It is, as he says, opportunity for 'plausible deniability'."

"You sound almost approving," Fuyutsuki observed.

A ghostly echo of a smile made its way to the cold man's face. "He is my... son, after all."

"I wonder what Yui would have thought, had he grown like this regardless?" the elderly professor wondered in brief nostalgia.

"She would have thought him stubborn... be that as it may, the scenario is perfectly on schedule." Gendo stated, soon regaining his cold persona. "The old men are pleased so far and as long as the Third is kept happy he will continue to pilot – and considering the fame and recognition he gets for doing so, he will be more than content, though in the future he might come to demand more."

"Much like the Second Child, then," Fuyutsuki commented. "I pray they never meet."

"Unfortunately, you and I both know that is more than likely to occur..."

Unbeknownst to both of the men, a small surveillance device, hidden under the groove of the desk from where Terros had planted it, was pulsing away, recording everything that was said.

-SW-

As soon as Shinji opened the door to his home he could immediately feel the oppressive energy of the dark side. _Well done, young one._

_Thank you... Master._

Terros had decided against verbal communication for tutoring his new apprentice, partly due to the surveillance they consistently underwent but also because Rei was relatively old for learning and the time span they had in which to bring her up to speed was limited. She had plenty of potential, all Terros needed to do was draw it out.

And so, Rei's training had begun from the very moment she accepted. The Evangelion pilot was literally baptised in the ways of the Sith as Terros began to teach her to use and command the Force. In order to utilise her power to its fullest extent, Terros used their link in order for him to make her reflect upon her own life, her own despair, pain, loneliness and fear, and truly rouse these emotions from deep within her heart. As these were the most powerful emotions the girl had experienced through her life, these were naturally the ones that Terros used.

And Rei had indeed despaired. She had kneeled in her room, simply bathing in her own despair, for she had much to despair for in her life. The resultant connection to the Force, and the dark side was so powerful that even when calling upon her power Rei would begin to manifest a shroud of her own dark turmoil and emotions, a shroud that would surely wreak havoc and torment the weak-minded and unsettle the strong that wished to oppose her.

Darth Bane was a harsh teacher. Even from an early age Terros had been forced to undergo trials many would consider barbaric and inhumane, and many times he had contemplated simply taking a hammer and smashing the holocron to bits. But that would only prove his weakness and ineptitude to cope, and so he persisted.

Terros himself emulated his Master in harshness. Using their link, even at night Terros sporadically tormented his apprentice with frightening false visions and nightmares, forming them from Rei's own subconscious mind, and Rei, much to his delight, took them in stride, learning at first to retain her own mental strength and resist, before learning how to break them completely, and eventually turn them back on the caster, a feat Terros marvelled at.

He made her use the Force as much as she could until it became second-nature. They conversed mentally. She continually retained her hold on the dark side, and subsequently her despair, until it was no longer as fatiguing for her to do so. She had first learnt the art of meditation and stillness from him, controlling herself even in the maelstrom of the darkness, and frequently practised it, even in class and at lunch.

However, Terros made sure to temper his harshness with fairness. He knew that Rei had much to learn, not only about the Force but about matters of life, especially people. Shinji had formed a strange friendship with Toji and Kensuke, and he had helped to ease her into the group, though she was mostly quiet and the boys, initially unnerved, began to learn to tolerate her presence – obviously they would never be close.

During the day, when Terros was not teaching her the basics of the physical aspects of being a Sith, the pair merely walked through Tokyo-3 as Master and Apprentice, observing the life around them, with Terros sometimes making a brief comment or observation or stopping to test Rei's sensitivity to the environment around them.

Even as Shinji closed the door behind him, he could feel the oppressive, despairing energy briefly probe him before receding, allowing him entry. Rei's aura had indeed become impressive. In time, her elemental prowess with using the Force would doubtlessly exceed his own. _I have been to see my father. He suspects nothing, though I will have to be cautious from now on in how much I toe the line._

_Perhaps you should simply...persuade him, Master._

Terros gave the mental equivalent of a chuckle at Rei's suggestion to simply dominate him through the Force. _To control such a strong-willed man for an indefinite period would cause strain to both sides, and would ultimately be wasteful. And beside__s, if anyone notices any discrepancies in his behaviour we could potentially be discovered. Too much risk, after all. _Shinji scowled. _Or you could share with me his plans._

Silence. Despite his intimate bond with Rei as Master and apprentice, the girl had many parts of her life so closed off even he could not penetrate them. It was fine, for the moment – Rei would tell him in her own time, and he was confident that his father would not try anything he could not predict.

He walked into the kitchen, pouring himself a cup of orange juice to refresh himself as the girl read a book on genetics, before turning around, taking a sip and putting down a card on the table beside her. "Your new ID card," Shinji said promptly before taking a long draught of his drink. _Are__ you afraid of what might happen in the Unit-00 activation test?_

Rei turned a page. _I am not ruled by my fear._

_Good. Fear is useful, but not when it dictates your actions. _Shinji walked into his room, turning on his laptop screen as he typed in his password, a simple phrase in the Sith language. _Remember that the Force is your ally when you tame the Evangelion. Impose your power upon it... and you can make it do whatever you wish._

_Hai, Master._

Shinji smirked as he clicked his mouse, pulling up a new document with financial and shipping information, before hitting 'DEL', erasing it from his laptop. _Do you feel it? The tremors in the Force?__  
__Yes. Another Angel will approach soon._

Activating his encrypted network, he began writing an email to his benefactor to assure him he had received it and inquiring on the accounts for monetary transfer. _Good... you're learning quickly._ Terros gave a dark chuckle as he leaned back, clasping his hands together with a smirk. _Everything is moving along as I have foreseen.__.._

-SW-

"_We will now commence the Unit-00 re-activation experiment."  
"Connecting main power supply!"_

From within the entry plug, Rei looked on impassively as the plug hummed to life and shimmered around her. She settled herself more comfortably into the seat, her grip on the controls relaxing even as she closed her eyes, stretching out with the Force, as she remembered Shinji's words to her. Though she already knew of what he spoke, to see things from his perspective greatly helped to reassure her and aid her in what she was doing.

"_Approaching absolute borderline!"_

"The Evangelion is more than a crude machine," Shinji had told her as they sat on a park bench one fine afternoon. "It is an animal, a predator, and like all predators it exists to hunt. Respect that power, Rei."

She could indeed feel it. The extraordinary strength, brimming underneath the surface of the Evangelion's armour and restraints, every muscle, every sinew, built to maim, to kill, to destroy its prey. Reaching out, she connected to the Evangelion, melding its mind and its strength with her own as she made contact with Unit-00's spirit, even as Shinji's voice resonated within her, guiding her on what to do.

"And what does a predator hate the most? To get wounded? To feel pain, or to starve? No. It is to _yield._"

Already she could feel the beast rousing from its deep slumber. And as it felt the connection, it stirred, its anger rising as Rei felt Unit-00's human soul, so deeply bound, pulling itself in a desperate attempt to free itself, and, seeing no way out of its situation like countless times before, began focusing its intent, its anger at its slavery, towards the beast.

Rei opened herself fully to the Evangelion, and summoned the dark side of the Force, remembering the emotions that she had longed to forget – emotions of fear, of confusion, of pain, and most importantly... despair.

Feeling the empty emotion of her despair pooling within her, Rei directed all of it towards Unit-00.

The beast howled in agony at the despair it felt, even as the human soul lingered in confusion. Rei manifested her despair, giving the human soul a light 'push' before it withdrew to the darkest recesses of the Evangelion, where even Rei would not dare intrude.

She solidified her connection with Unit-00. _Submit __to me, and I will ease your despair... just as my Master has eased mine._

The beast's presence receded, finally allowing Rei entrance to its very being. Rei let her presence connect with every part of the Evangelion as it submitted to her fully – to its new master, as it howled in its pain and despair.

"_Unit-00 has activated!"_

Opening her eyes, Rei leant back and sighed in something akin to - at least for the girl – relief.

From his viewing point, Shinji smirked. _Very good, Rei. You're learning even quicker __than I would have hoped for._

The sound of rapidly approaching footsteps interrupted his reverie "Shinji!"

The Sith turned around, his face expressing surprise. "What's up, Misato?"

The woman had a serious demeanour even as she came to a halt. "Get suited up. Another Angel has been sighted."

-SW-

Shinji frowned as he looked at the image of the Angel sent his way. "That's weird. It doesn't have any apparent attack capabilities."

"_Be that as it may, Unit-01 is the only weapon capable of fighting on an equal level with an Angel."_

Sometimes Shinji just felt like smacking his head on a brick wall. "Are you or are you not a soldier, Misato? You're absolutely crazy – sending me up against something with little to no intel! Do we have _anything_ on what this Angel can do or not?"

From within the Command Centre, Misato and Ritsuko sighed in unison as they heard this all-too common occurrence, before Misato leaned forward, hitting the comm button. "Shinji... you're going out, whether you like it or not!"

"You know he does have a point," Ritsuko piped up as she studied the Angel on the large screen. "Just from looking at it you can tell it's different from the previous two. Its S2 core isn't apparent, for instance."  
Because Ritsuko had received such well-preserved samples of the previous Angels, she was able to research them thoroughly and compare the two to see how they differed.

The results were intriguing to say the least. Though obviously the two shared strong similarities that clearly marked them out as being Angels, they were also in other ways radically different. It would only be logical to assume that each Angel had a different modus operandi, so to speak.

Misato sighed again. Truthfully she conceded that Shinji had a good point. This new Angel looked radically different from the last two they encountered and showed no apparent weak spots either – in fact, it looked, literally, like a flying fortress. "Then what do you suggest we do, Shinji?"

"_Withhold from launching the Evangelion until we have a better grasp on what this thing can do, by using decoys and diversions to prompt it to attack."_

"Negative."

Misato whirled around at the Commander, seated at his desk as he made his presence known. "But Commander, Shinji's made a good point! We don't know what this Angel can do, therefore it's logical that we should..."  
"Unit-01 will move out as planned," Gendo interrupted, his face cold and unyielding. "That is a direct order,_ Captain._"

There a brief moment of silence before Misato closed her eyes and spoke up again. "Yes, Commander. Prepare to deploy Unit-01!"

Within the Evangelion Shinji scowled. _I expected him to be pissed off. _"Roger that."

There was a lurch as the Evangelion began moving towards the launch pad. Even without utilising the Force, Shinji was uneasy about the Fifth Angel. The previous Angels had been defeated in melee, and if there was one thing the Angels did well, it was adapting. Having said that, since previous battles had been won without the use of weaponry or additional aids the gracious Commander had seen fit to deny Ritsuko's, and consequently his, requests for extra weaponry. The entire notion that the Evangelion was as well-prepared as it could be for any kind of skirmish was foolish, considering it needed enormous amounts of external power and was tightly restrained by its captors, limiting its potential.

Leaning back, Shinji closed his eyes and once more melded with his Evangelion, feeling its strength become his own. Unit-01, too, was uneasy, perhaps sensing that it would be in for a different kind of fight. Whatever happened, they needed to be both on their guard.  
_"EVA LAUNCH!"_

At his desk, Shigeru's eyes widened as his computer began beeping wildly. "Katsuragi! We're detecting a high energy reaction from within the Angel!"

Misato spun around in shock. "What?"

"It's accelerating and massing upon itself!"

"_Misato! Release the restraints!" _Shinji roared, easily sensing the extraordinary spike in energy.

"Do what he says! Quickly!" Misato yelled.

"Releasing cage restraints!" Maya reported, rapidly typing in the command.

Shinji gritted his teeth as he felt the the cage click and release the Evangelion. He spread his AT-Field to the maximum, bending his knees as he felt the Angel suddenly stop gathering energy. _NOW!__  
_Unit-01 leapt into the air just as the cage came to the surface and the Angel fired an amazingly intense purple beam, easily piercing the buildings and cutting a clean path straight ahead into Tokyo-3.

Shinji's eyes widened as the Evangelion landed out of the way, cursing since the shot had also taken out his umbilical cable, leaving him with less than several minutes of power. He strafed left, leaping behind the temporary safety of a cluster of nearby buildings.

The Angel however turned, the arc of the beam now acting as a cutting weapon as it burnt through anything in its way, its target immediately obvious.

_It can sense the Evangelion. _Filing that intriguing thought away, Shinji moved from his position, running from the beam of energy which, to his amazement, had not lessened in intensity nor in strength even as the Angel maintained it indefinitely. "Misato, I'm a sitting duck out here!" He yelled, patching in to NERV HQ.

"_Get back to the cage and retreat! We're out of our depth here!"__  
_"Well, that's pretty obvious..." Shinji grimaced as he lowered the Evangelion into a crouch, contemplating his options. With his battery running out, it would be impossible to reach one of the many other Evangelion launch pads around Tokyo-3 in time. The only possible path of retreat, back onto his original launch pad however – would lead him directly into the line of enemy fire.

_I guess it's the only way. Sorry for doing this to you. _Shinji apologised to the Evangelion even as he braced himself, bringing his AT-Field to the very maximum – before sprinting forward, and crossing straight into the beam.

"_SHINJI!"_

Every fibre of his being screamed with hot pain as the beam passed straight through his AT-Field, melting his Evangelion's armour. Suppressing the pain with the Force, Shinji simply narrowed his gaze, pushing forward as he melded further with the Evangelion, urging it to go faster and faster.

The Angel must have been taken aback at so brazen a move, as it seemed to hesitate for a split-second before re-directing the beam – that was enough, however, for the Evangelion to leap clear, leaving it behind and getting back onto the cage. "Get me outta here Misato!" Shinji yelled, and as the Evangelion shot back down into NERV, he relaxed, letting himself fall into a deep, Force-assisted sleep.

-SW-

As Shinji woke up, the first thing he realised, from the colour of the ceiling was that he was in a hospital.

The second thing he realised was that his apprentice was sitting next to him.

"Rei?" Shinji turned around and looked up. _Apprentice... my congratulations o__n mastering Unit-00, though your skills will be tested in the rigors of combat._

The girl held something akin to amusement on her face – even in a hospital bed and dressed in a patient's gown, Shinji was ever composed and derisive, though in a manner not unlike that of a father figure or stern teacher. _Thank you, Master._

Shinji scowled as he recalled the battle beforehand, before pulling himself up, flexing his arms, noting with some relief that he had escaped major injury, though he was naturally quite sore. The Force-assisted sleep had greatly helped, though it would take a week or so before he was fully himself – it's not everyday someone walks away from a direct him from a particle beam of that intensity, after all.

The door suddenly swung open as Misato came in. "Shinji! What the hell were you thinking?" She admonished angrily. "Going directly into the line of enemy fire – you could've been killed!"

"It's nice to see you care so much, Misato, even though you sent me in with virtually no intelligence on the Angel's capabilities," Shinji answered with his usual sarcasm.

"Don't deflect the subject Shinji! You know as well as I do I couldn't disobey a direct order from the Commander! But..." Misato sighed, sitting on his bed. "Please, for the love of God, _don__'t_ do a crazy stunt like that again! For crying out loud, I nearly had a heart attack!"

Seeing the woman's genuine concern, Shinji's face became much softer (though internally he was filing this away as a potential advantage). "Don't worry, Misato. You do your part to the best of your ability and I'll do mine, and we'll be sweet!" He said with a grin, giving her a thumbs up.

"Don't worry! I think this battle should be enough of a wake-up call that NERV needs more resources for the Evangelions! I need to get back to HQ and finish organising the operation, I'll leave it to Rei to give you the briefing." Her demeanour changed to her usually goofy attitude as she stood up, walking out. "Keep it G-rated!" She added, closing the door behind her with a wink.

"So, what operation is the good Captain planning since direct combat with the Angel is suicide?" Shinji asked in curiosity.

"The operation is going under the moniker of 'Operation Yashima', and involves the use of a high-energy pinpoint weapon outside of the enemy's firing range."

Terros smirked. "Sounds pretty good. Since snipers work in two-man teams, I take it I'm going to be the shooter while you're my backup."

"We will receive our orders in full at the temporary base on Mount Futago."

"Interesting..." In all honesty, Terros was amazed at the Fifth Angel's capabilities – its AT-Field was incredible, and its external armour suggested some sort of defensive protection as well. On top of that, it possessed the ability to detect and automatically fire a powerful accelerated particle beam with pinpoint accuracy, as well as to maintain it indefinitely.

It was without a doubt that the Fifth Angel was a considerable step up from the Third and Fourth Angel, which, frankly, were not all that distinct from each other.

It was the way of a Sith to desire power – and Terros greatly desired the power of the Fifth Angel, and the Angels after it, if they would grow successively more powerful. He nearly salivated at the thought of possessing all that.

Pushing those thoughts aside for later mulling, Shinji picked up the tray of food Rei had delivered him. He would need his strength.

-SW-

"_Shinji, remember what we told you! You have to kill it with the first shot! Understood?"_

"Roger," Shinji said with a grin as the Eva cocked the monstrous positron rifle. "One shot... one kill," he stated, reciting the working ethic of every black-ops sniper in the modern world.

Within the base, Misato couldn't help but smile at Shinji's surprisingly light-hearted, yet determined tone. _It's __like he knows he can't possibly lose._

Terros summoned the dark side of the Force and connected with his Eva. It had become wary after the previous skirmish – it knew it couldn't fight the Angel directly, and it did not want to repeat the experience of being in pain. Ritsuko said he was lucky – even in the split second that they crossed through, the particle beam had easily broken through his AT-Field, melting the Evangelion's armour where it hit down to the third layer. Any longer and he most likely would be dead.

But Terros was more than well aware of the... benefits of pain. Without experiencing pain, one couldn't learn – something that the apprentice of Darth Bane was well aware of.

As they battled and the Evangelion underwent more pain and toil, it would continue to grow and adapt, not becoming complacent as it would have been had every battle been as easy as against the Fourth Angel. Even despite being damaged in their previous skirmish – Terros found it incredibly easy to meld his own disciplined self with the bubbling maelstrom of the Evangelion. The beast had nearly accepted him, now, knowing that in order to regain its pride, its honour as a predator against the Fifth Angel, it would have to accept his help. Perhaps Shinji had left an imprint of his own brain wave patterns from the last time they synced, as when they first melded, it was no more than a beast, a powerful beast, but a beast nonetheless.

"_Initiating power-up!"_

Shinji started to take slow, deliberate breaths as he closed his eyes, summoning the full power of the dark side as it filled him. He accepted it all in its entirety, a swirling mass of pure, chaotic energy, filling him utterly with its cruel strength.

Immediately he felt invigorated, all pain, all doubt, all reservation washing away with the rushing tide of darkness, feeling as if he could do anything, _be _anyone, but Terros was not a lowly Sith weakling. He clasped firmly onto the power so eager to dominate and swallow everything in its path – including him, if he was not worthy enough to wield it.

"_0.9! 0.8! 0.7! 0.6! 0.5! 0.4! 0.3! 0.2..."_

"_Massive energy build-up in the Angel detected!" _

Misato's eyes widened. "NO!"

"_0.1!"_

"_The Angel's firing!" _

A massive burst of purple energy crossed the lake in nearly a second, rocketing out of the Angel with a howl of wind – but it never reached its target, as Unit-00 leapt forward, taking the brunt of the force with its shield.

"Captain! Shinji hasn't engaged the targeting computer!" Maya yelled.

"WHAT? Shinji what the hell are you DOING?" Misato roared in anger. "Activate your targeting computer NOW!"

But Shinji had already tuned everything out, as he focused, using the dark side to see in a clarity impossible for a mere machine. Jedi claimed to let the docile light side guide their actions - Sith, however, preferred an approach where they were masters of their own destiny.

And Darth Terros knew that with the killing of this Angel, he would become absolutely indispensable to NERV. A perfect asset.

"The pilot is preparing to fire!" Shigeru reported.

"No!" Ritsuko stood up in horror. "Without the targeting systems there's no way he'll hit the Angel! At best it'll go completely wide, at worst he could end up hitting a part of the..."

Naturally, the scientist merely gaped silently in absolute awe at such a one-in-a-million jackpot – as the shot had hit the Angel and blown straight through, killing it.

The entire command bridge was silent – a feat that happened a lot more frequently, with Shinji at the helm of Unit-01 – but this, above everything, had completely blown them away.

_There's no way... to hit the Angel perfectly... it's humanly impossible! _Ritsuko was in absolute shock. How had he done it? Even a military-trained sniper could never make a shot like that since the positron rifle was not a projectile weapon! To compensate for the Earth's magnetic field... it wasn't something that was instinct or petty talent! You needed to have a complete understanding of it, and that was far beyond what even a genius-level prodigy could predict! Even the computer program the doctor built for this task was not perfectly accurate, it could only make estimations to a certain degree!

Commander Ikari, however, did not even blink after witnessing this seemingly superhuman feat, seated in his typical pose.

Similarly, Fuyutsuki was equally composed behind him. "It looks like the Third Child is becoming quite indispensable, isn't he?" He commented offhandedly.

"Yes. Make sure that his needs are catered for to a reasonable degree. As long as we maintain his loyalty... our scenario will proceed perfectly," Gendo replied, a hidden smirk rapidly forming.


	6. Jet Alone and training

A/N: A few people are wondering where Asuka will fit into all this and how Shinji will interact with her. I'll drop you all a little hint – it's not Shinji Asuka should be worried about...

-SW-

Anton was a person who thought he had seen it all. After all, not only had he survived Second Impact, but he had extensive criminal records in nearly every major Western country. He had been brought up as a simple thug in one of the many Russian gangs and went on to become an extremely notorious arms dealer, no stranger to financing freedom groups and 'terrorists' for cash. His bust several years ago had come by as a pure accident on the part of the authority, and he had pulled every possible string and made countless bribes in order to get a Government pardon – though his bank accounts still remained frozen and his assets locked away.

Even to him it came as a shock when a mysterious benefactor offered him the chance to restore his network and a long-term job – one that, if he played his cards right, would easily set him up for life.

As a burly, heavily-built man, Anton wasn't one to get nervous or fearful. However, in the presence of his employer, he couldn't help but get chills as the heavily-garbed man looked down at him from the digital screen, his face obscured by the hood. _"So the third shipment of weapons has come in?"_

Behind Anton, the once abandoned warehouse had become a hub of activity. His associates collaborated with another one of their allies and the main muscle as it were, the Red Dragon gang, who did all the heavy lifting, as the specialists he had called in inspected each batch, checking for faults or imperfections, as well as instructing many of the gangsters who were interested in how to do so.

Terros had ordered there to be a large amount of recruitment effort in the beginning, as the gang's ranks were sorely depleted. It had been slow at first since more and more people were getting out of Tokyo-3 – but at the same time, plenty of people were also coming in, attracted to the prospect of being in the "middle of a war". It certainly helped that NERV and the Evangelion's exploits were so heavily publicised and sensationalised, and in addition there were plenty of drifters, lowlifes and homeless who were attracted due to the prospect of finding a place to stay.

Anton nodded. "Yes, the third shipment has arrived on schedule and it has been all thoroughly inspected." He picked up one of the fresher weapons and checked the chamber – a Steyr Aug assault rifle which at one point had been the standard issue rifle of countless militaries in the world. "Obviously, the effort and time taken to locate quality weapons like this has been considerable. These aren't usually found in bulk anymore."

Terros waved it off. _"Money is no object. Use whatever means you need to locate what you believe to be the best."_

"In that case, we'll go ahead with the fourth armament shipment - of several hundred MP5 sub-machine guns," Anton replied, noting it down on his clipboard. "All through the usual channels of course, to make them untraceable."

"_Indeed – for the moment, focus on close-range concealable weapons, as well as demolitions," _Terros noted. _"Though obtaining long-range sniper weapons would also be of__ great benefit,"_

"There is a friend of mine currently confined in America, awaiting trial for bombing several Government-sanctioned precincts. He is an expert on demolitions and would be of great use to us – in particular, he is knowledgeable enough on chemicals to make explosives from over the counter materials."

"_Send me the file and I will obtain him."_

Anton inclined his head slightly as thanks.

"_Furthermore, do you have any contacts that are former Special Forces or military?"_

The gangster frowned. "A few... not many that would want to get involved with this."

"_I don't need them as combatants but instructors," _Terros explained coolly. _"Any brute can shoot a gun. I want soldiers, not common street thugs."_

Anton blinked in surprise, taken aback by his request. "I'll look them up."

"_See that you do." _There was a click as the transmission ended.

Rags had been waiting just out of sight of the television camera, and now stepped into view. "This is getting interesting, isn't it?"

Like Anton, Rags had gotten around quite a bit in his younger days. He was no stranger to the harsh rules of the world and had certainly seen and experienced his fair share. His thin, haggard appearance disguised a sharp, calculative mind. The two had a mutual, quiet recognition of each other's talents and experience, like two veteran soldiers.

Anton smirked as he lit a chunky cigar, letting the smoke waft into the air as he exhaled. "Indeed it is. Our boss really does want to wage a war, doesn't he?"

Rags shrugged. "Heh. If I die, it's a better way to end my life than being in charge of some no-name Tokyo-3 gang."

There was also another important trait that both shared – neither of them had anything to lose.

"Maybe. Whatever happens – it'll certainly be something to remember." Anton grinned with tobacco-filled teeth. "And whenever something big happens, there are always people looking to cash in."

-SW-

"You're relying too much on your arms in order to slash. Tighten up your form, and pivot with your entire body's momentum!" Shinji advised, easily sidestepping the blow.

Rei matched his motions, keeping her eyes trained on him as she focused, raising her weapon into a guarded Form I stance. She was panting from fatigue, sweat running down her brow in trying to duel toe to toe with her Master while Shinji was hardly fatigued at all.

Though Rei excelled at using and manipulating the Force, unfortunately her incredible potential didn't extend to lightsaber combat. That was not to say, however, that she was bad at it – the rate of learning however, compared to her aptitude for using the Force, was rather noticeable.

Terros was perfectly fine with this at the moment. Rei was learning at a perfectly acceptable rate, faster than that of a normal Sith initiate, and there would be no need for combat skills for the moment. However subterfuge and deceit, the tools needed at this point in the game, Rei already possessed in spades. All Terros needed to do was refine her skill. She would grow naturally under his tutelage.

Terros spun around, parrying another attack, leaning as Rei used her angle to try and tag him with a surprise kick. "Enough." He stated firmly, dusting off his shirt.

Rei stood at attention, her practise sword still ready.

"You've admirably grasped Shii-Cho, the Determination Form – the founding style of lightsaber combat, and the form most lightsaber duellists learn at the beginning of their career. It can be useful if one runs out of options – though its simplicity means it is rather lacking in many aspects." Shinji tutored. "And that can be a weakness." He rubbed his chin in thought. "You're very agile and flexible but at the same time your bladework is surprisingly aggressive – though not to the point of overt dominance. Form IV would fit you perfectly, as it relies on speed, flexibility and extensive use of the Force – the three traits you possess in abundance."

Rei bowed her head in acknowledgement.

"I'd also prefer for you to learn the aspects of some of the more defensive forms," Shinji added as he collected the wooden swords, putting them back in his bag as the two walked down from the roof and back into their apartment.

As his apprentice, Rei stayed quiet as per her nature, mostly content to listen to what her Master taught her about the nature of the dark side, and the nature of power, only asking questions for further clarification. Much of what she had been taught, she absorbed like a sponge.

Terros couldn't help but smirk as he waited for Rei to get changed into her school uniform. Many lesser Sith Lords would have considered her silence to be a sign of docility, of _weakness_ – but their connection offered him a unique insight into her mind.

And through this, he could glimpse the dark seed growing in Rei's heart, the burning ambition concealed behind her blood-red eyes. It was only natural after all that she wanted power, in one of the more brutal lessons Terros had taught her, one foggy morning on a rickety, shattered pier.

"Do you hate me, apprentice?" He had asked, after throwing her like a rag doll into a stack of broken boxes and splints.

Rei calmly stood, ripping one of the larger splints out of her thigh without so much as a grimace, wiping away some blood from a forehead wound that had gotten into her eye. Without warning, she leapt forward with Force-assisted speed – Shinji stepped back, but Rei merely ducked down in a feint as several long spikes hurtled forward, whistling through the air.

With a mere thought, a shock of Force energy erupted, repulsing everything around him and causing Rei and the spikes to be thrown away, however she quickly flipped backwards, landing on her feet. "I do not." The girl answered.

"Pity," Terros stated, raising his hand. "Because you should."

Rei's eyes bulged out in pain as she clutched at an invisible hand ensnared tightly around her throat – so tight, that her windpipe visibly constricted.

The Sith walked calmly forward. "As a Sith, you should desire to murder me, maim me, weaken me, because I am your superior. You _must _envy my power, you _must _be jealous at my achievements and my strength because these emotions will fuel you, and make you strong."

He dropped his hand, and Rei slumped to the ground, coughing in pain as she rubbed her neck.

Rei shivered as Terros walked forward, stroking her cheek with unusual gentleness. "But you _do _hate, don't you? You cannot hide your thoughts from me, my apprentice. Already I can feel the smouldering rage, begging to be released inside you, the despair – despair of trading one master for another. You do not hate me... you hate that I am superior – and likewise, that you are still _inferior_." Terros smirked coldly before suddenly backhanding her, sending her skidding away. "So DO NOT let your guard down!" He roared.

Shinji was broken out of his thoughts at the sound of someone knocking on the door.

"Hey Shinji!" Toji and Kensuke chorused as he opened it. "Ready for school?"

"Almost, just give Rei a bit more time to get changed," Shinji answered with a grin.

At this comment the two boys' faces became noticeably more... lecherous.

"So how's it like living with such a hottie?"

"Ever thought about Ayanami's boobs?"  
"Or her thighs?"  
"I bet you've even gotten a glimpse of her..."  
"That's quite enough out of the two of you," Shinji interrupted, ducking his head slightly.

"Oh come on Shinji, you can tell us!"  
"Ever visit her room at night?"

"What about during..."

The two quickly hushed up as the door to the young apprentice's room opened and Rei stepped out, in her school uniform, looking impassively towards Shinji as he grinned. "Well, let's get moving."

Even as they walked to school, Kensuke couldn't keep his mouth shut, and was constantly bugging Shinji about the Evangelions and NERV. "You've got to tell me more about the Evangelions, Shinji! How many of them are there? Do they each have ultimate attacks?"

Shinji snorted, partially at the silliness of the question but mostly at the fact that multiple students had asked him that. "This isn't some conventional mecha anime, Kensuke. And besides, NERV's given away plenty of free information to the public."  
"But NONE of the good stuff! You've gotta tell me Shinji! I've made it my mission to know _everything_ about the Evangelions!"

"Why don't you ask Rei?"

The two stopped walking, staring at him in shock. "Ayanami's an EVA pilot?" Kensuke asked, turning to the albino girl – before cringing as she glanced towards him in a manner in which one would regard an insect.

"And been one much longer than I have. I'm sure if you have questions, she'll answer them." Though Shinji didn't add that they would be answers he would like.

Nevertheless, his suggestion had its intended effect as the geeky boy rubbed his head sheepishly. "Ah! That's alright! I'm sure I'll leech some information from my dad!"

"Your dad?" Shinji asked in genuine curiosity.

"Yep! He's an employee at NERV!"

"Interesting..." the Sith mentally filed this away. He grinned as they approached the school gate. "Well, it looks those girls have stopped waiting for me every morning."

Unfortunately for Shinji, who had been thrust into the spotlight as NERV's poster boy and the 'hero' of the war effort, this new publicity certainly had a number of drawbacks.

The number of people emigrating out of the city had slowed after his interview on international television – many wanted to support this 'dashing new hero' or be spectator to what a critic called 'one of the most extraordinary periods in human history'. Walking on the street by himself, Shinji was frequently stopped and asked to pose for photos, sign autographs and answer any questions of curiosity – knowing that he was being watched by Section-Two, who obviously were monitoring what he said under the Commander's orders.

Many shops had given him discounts, and some people had run out to greet him when he was in the public, offering him gifts or money in gratitude. Shinji used this fame to his advantage as a politician would do – plastering on a kind face, he would remain humble, composed and polite even in face of criticism, allowing his supporters to defend him. He was careful to balance his words – not too aggressive, as so not to alienate the adults, yet not too passive and servile, in order to rouse those who had a fiery disposition and didn't take too kindly to the Angel's view of 'eradicating humanity'.

It was good practise for him and Rei as they were out to be discreet and manipulate the Force to allow themselves to fade into the background , effectively hiding in plain sight.

And, naturally, there were fan girls.

"Man, if I had a large group of girls chasing after me everyday... Shinji, you sure you aren't gay?" Toji asked, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

"Of course not!" Shinji snapped. "What the hell would make you think that?"

"Well..." Kensuke adjusted his glasses suspiciously. "Now you say that..."

"So just because I'm not a pervert like you guys that makes me gay?"

"WE'RE NOT PERVERTS!" Toji and Kensuke shouted in unison, their faces beet red. "WE CAN JUST APPRECIATE THE FEMALE FORM, THAT'S ALL!"

Shinji waved them off lazily. "Whatever you say perverts." He walked into the gate – and suddenly stopped, feeling a chill pass through him. _I have a bad feeling about this..._

He could hear a rumbling in the distance – and as it got louder, and the ground began to quake, Shinji could hear... screaming? "No..." He whispered in horror, backing away in fear. "That's not true... that's impossible!"

"SHINJIIII!" The collective mob of fan girls screeched at a pitch that nearly blew out his ear drums as they rapidly drew closer, a massive dust cloud forming in their wake.

"My hero!"  
"Sleep with me?"  
"Write me an autograph!"  
"Have my babies!"

At that last one Shinji didn't wait – he turned tail and ran for the hills.

Toji narrowed his eyes, watching until the girls and Shinji were no longer a speck. "Lucky guy..."

Rei simply picked up her books and walked into the class, never even giving them a second thought.

-SW-

"It's hard to think that this used to be the flourishing capital of Tokyo," Misato commented as the NERV chopper brought them in for landing, looking out the window where she could see the ruins of the city partially submerged underneath water. "Why the heck are they having the demonstration in a place like this?" She sighed. "Don't tell me the SSDF is involved."

"The Strategic Self Defence Force? No, they're not allowed to." Ritsuko clicked her mouse, scrolling a few pages down as she read the report on her laptop.

"I see, so that's why they can do whatever they like." Misato commented.

The helicopter came in for a soft landing as the two exited and were immediately greeted by a security guard. "Dr Ritsuko Akagi and Captain Misato Katsuragi of NERV?" He asked in a gruff voice. At their affirmation, he picked up his clipboard and put marks next to their names. "Thank you for coming today. Please follow me."

They were led into a large hall and to several seats at a table – and even though they were the only ones at their reserved table, everyone else had sent more than their fair number of representatives.

"What the hell is this?" Misato groaned, picking up a glass of complimentary beer before glancing around – from the looks of it, everybody else had eaten, if the piled dishes on their table were anything to go by. "Is this some kind of joke?"

"Commander Ikari's orders. He wants us to get this over as soon as possible," Ritsuko stated offhandedly as she took a sip of her own drink.

"How annoying – it makes us look rude." The Captain stated even as there was a round of applause as the representative stepped up to the lectern.

"Thank you all for coming to the Jet Alone conference! My name is Shiro Tokita, head of the Jet Alone Project. You will all be observing the official demonstration in the control room, but we'll be taking your questions here."

Almost immediately Ritsuko put her hand up, Misato rolling her eyes in bemusement.

"The famous Dr Akagi of NERV! It's our honour to have you here!"

"May I ask a question?"

"Of course, certainly!" The man laughed.

"According to our earlier briefing, this unit is equipped with an internal nuclear reactor, correct?"

"Indeed, this is one of our project's most distinguished features." He confirmed. "One hundred and fifty days of consecutive operating power is guaranteed."

"But from a safety perspective, isn't incorporating a nuclear reactor into a weapon designed for hand-to-hand combat risky?" Ritsuko posed.

The representative snorted. "It's better than a weapon that won't work for over five minutes."

Ritsuko barely repressed the urge to scowl at his blatant jab at the Evangelions. _Easy, Ritsuko, easy..._ "But in an emergency there could be problems with remote control!"

"Still, it's more humane than a weapon that induces great mental stress and causes mental instability."

"Cut it out, it just makes you look childish," Misato muttered under her breath in annoyance.

"And there's still the issue of manual control!" Ritsuko pressed.

"A weapon that cannot be controlled is insane. I believe that it is safer than an extremely dangerous weapon that can run out of control and go berserk," Shiro smirked in triumph as he raised a file with 'top-secret' printed on top of it.

Ritsuko's eyes widened. _T-That's from our archives! But how did he get ahold of it?_

His pettiness knew no bounds, it seemed, as he raised his hands in amusement. "It's like a hysterical woman! In other words, completely out of control!" The crowd couldn't help but laugh at his comparison, though the representatives from NERV were not impressed.

_Then how do you like this? _Ritsuko mentally smirked as she brought out one of her trump cards. "Our pilots and technology are more than up to the task!"

"So you're saying science and courage will tame that beast?" He asked incredulously.

"They already have," the Doctor confirmed with pride.

"Ah, you're referring to the infamous 'Third Child'. Not even of age and he's already an international hero and piloting prodigy, correct?"

"That is exactly who I am referring to," Ritsuko stated. "The Third Child proves my point that NERV is more than equipped to handle defeating the Angels. He's just the first of many in line who are more than capable of using the Evangelions to their fullest potential."

"Isn't that a bit presumptuous?" Shiro questioned. "Putting the fate of humanity in the hands of an immature, untrained child who was thrust into the seat of the Evangelion and told to fight?"

"The 'child' has a name," Misato hissed in annoyance even as Ritsuko's gaze darkened.

"I'm sorry, but NERV's day in the sun won't be long – 20,000 people in multiple countries are starving because the UN has had to increase your budget, while Jet Alone needs less than half that." Shiro continued. "It will only be a matter of time since we develop an artificial AT-Field since research has already begun – Jet Alone is the perfect weapon to combat the Angels!" He declared even as the audience stood, giving him thunderous applause.

"Damn it!" WHAM! Misato kicked in the locker once they left the conference hall, denting it with surprising force. "How dare he speak like that to us? Who does he think he is? He's probably just pissed at being cut out of the profit loop!"

"Cut that out." Ritsuko flicked on her lighter, holding the Jet Alone demonstration file over it as she burnt the folder to crisps. "He's just a show-off. He's not even worthy of attention."

_Who was the one arguing with him? _Misato thought cynically.

"But how did he know about the AT Field? How could something so classified leak out?" Ritsuko mused.

"Intelligence must be dragging its ass."

After a short break, the two made their way to the control room, standing towards the back of the area even as Ritsuko looked on impassively and sipped her coffee. _Let the show begin._

"We're about to start the JA Activation test." Shiro announced from his place by the elevated command deck. "Don't worry, there's absolutely no risk at all. Make yourself comfortable – and watch through the window."

"Not exactly the prettiest weapon, is it?" Misato observed, looking at the clunky robot with long, gangly arms.

"_Ready to begin!"_

"_Discharge power core!"_

"_Pressure levels nominal."_

"_Coolant circulation system nominal."_

"_Release the control rod!"_

There was a hiss as long, spiny black rods twisted out of the machine's back, and it hummed to life, its visor sparkling before settling on a dim light.

"_Output is nominal."_

The executive grinned. "Begin the walk cycle!"

"_Walking! Forward ahead, slow – forward right leg!"_

Jet Alone gave a shudder, before it lurched forward, taking a tentative step forward.

"_Balance is nominal."_

"_Power core status nominal."_

"Now, forward left leg! Keep her steady!"

Jet Alone lurched forward again, stepping forward with its left leg, before it repeated, with the right, then the left, then right again. Slowly but surely, it built up a rhythm until it began to walk at a smooth, consistent pace.

"It walks!" Misato declared, looking through her pair of binoculars. "Now _that's _something to be proud of!"

Ritsuko simply ignored her, her look distant, as she took another sip of her coffee and waited for the inevitable to occur.

One of the technicians frowned as he looked at this console. "Sir, there's something odd happening."  
"What do you mean?" Shiro questioned in confusion.

"The pressure inside the reactor is increasing..." his eyes widened. "The temperature of the primary coolant is also rising!"

"Open the release valve," the executive instructed as he leaned forward. "Insert the neutron deceleration fluid."

"No effect! The pump output isn't increasing!"

"Shut off the power! Emergency stop!"

"_Abort signal transmission confirmed... it's not accepting it! The radio circuit is being blocked! It's out of control!"_

"No... it can't be!" Shiro gasped, his face pale as a sheet. All that work, all that money spent –

"No! Oh God, run away!"

A massive foot crashed through the roof, slamming down as people scrambled away in fear, before carrying on, wrecking a trail through the base before leaving and sauntering forward into the wastelands of Old Tokyo.

"That robot is as badly behaved as the guy who built it." Misato stood up and dusted herself off with surprising composure considering her near-miss_._

"_The compression valve is operating irregularly!"_

"_The control rods aren't working! Possibility of meltdown imminent!"_

"This can't be true..." Shiro gaped. "Jet Alone's been programmed to handle all contingencies! This kind of thing can't just happen!"

"It looks like it did." Misato stated as she walked up to the command deck. "And we're faced with the prospect of a nuclear meltdown."

"Under the circumstances, our only option is to wait for it to stop."

"And what is the estimated probability of an automatic stop?" Misato demanded.

"0.00002..." the technician reported with a sigh, rubbing his forehead in exasperation. "We'd better hope for a miracle!"

"Well I'm not going to sit down and just wait for a miracle. Tell me exactly how to stop that thing!"

"We've already tried every single option!"

"No. There must be a last resort, a way to wipe everything out. Give me the password."

"The password to delete all programming is top secret... I can't authorise it!"

Misato scowled. "Then get the clearance... right now!"

-SW-

"Jet Alone is the target. There's a danger of meltdown in five minutes, therefore we cannot allow it to get any closer to a populated area."

Shinji rubbed his shoulder. "I'm just going on record as saying I'm not comfortable with this. You'd really risk your life?"

"Hey, I'll be fine." Misato grinned. "Now remember what you have to do."  
"Catch up to the target, place you on the back, and restrain it as best I can," Shinji nodded with a sigh.

"Great!"

"_Approaching target!"_

"Good." Misato looked out the window to see the gargantuan shape of Jet Alone in the distance. "Let's get moving!"

Getting into Unit-01, there was a hiss as it slid through the cargo hatch of the stealth bomber, before the restraints clicked open, releasing it into the air with a whistle, cutting through the mist of clouds.

Shinji let the Evangelion freefall before bending his knees at the very last moment and absorbing the impact as it hit the ground with tremendous force, billowing up large clouds of dust before launching into a sprint. The enormous size of the Evangelion meant that each step made it seem like the Evangelion was flying through the air, the silhouette of Jet Alone in the distance, illuminated by the sunlight. "That's it... we're getting closer." He muttered, urging the Evangelion forward.

"_Good! Drop me on the back when you get a hold of it!"_

At the speed he was running at, it took little to no time to catch up till they were directly behind it – the Evangelion's arm reached out and grabbed onto Jet Alone's back, slowing it down enough for him to reach forward with his other hand which was gently carrying Misato as she leapt on, turning to give him the peace sign with a grin and pulling the hatch open, leaping inside.

Shinji moved in front of it, holding it back by its shoulders even as he quickly ran through what he was told about the clunky robot.

It wasn't unexpected that there would be Anti-Angel alternatives other than the Evangelions, since simply maintaining and repairing them would be more than enough to bankrupt a small country – multiple ones, even.

However, he found himself a little disappointed at the clunky design of Jet Alone. And to add to that – a nuclear reactor? Really? In a weapon for close-combat? Chances were someone was going to get fired for this.

He narrowed his eyes as Jet Alone's armour began to crack and pop, unable to sustain the rising pressure of the nuclear reactor. Shinji was confident of Misato's capabilities, but it would be a nuisance if she died, both for himself and for NERV's schemes.

Shinji had already heard the story of her survival at the epicentre of Second Impact, which not only provided her motivations perfectly – but also made her easier to manipulate considering how simple and direct her intentions were. He would prefer not to have her replaced with someone who might not be as open to his influence, that and the fact that she was actually surprisingly competent at her job.

Jet Alone gave a hum before it completely powered down, literally seconds away from nuclear meltdown. Shinji smirked, leaning back in his seat. _Very good, Misato__. You'll be a useful piece in this game.__ Now, onto other matters..._

-SW-

Needless to say, it had been a long day for Shiro, the executive in charge of the Jet Alone projects. After the near-catastrophe he was forced to answer a flurry of questions from inquisitive and blunt reporters, which took nearly an hour, then almost immediately afterwards he had a call from his boss demanding an explanation since he himself had assured him that it was 'completely safe'.

He himself didn't understand it. Jet Alone was perfectly programmed – they spent months on it alone. Shiro was fully aware of the risks of using a nuclear reactor so naturally they made every possible effort to avert it.

Since that was the case, why did such a thing occur?

He pushed those thoughts aside for the moment as he reached his office. What he needed right now, was a strong stiff drink, whiskey preferably, a chance to sit back and momentarily forget about the chaos of today before going home to see his family, since he was surely in for a tongue lashing tomorrow from his superiors.

Unlocking his office, and stepping in, he flicked on the light before stopping in shock.

A dark-garbed man was standing with his back facing him, looking out the window to the starry-night sky. "Such a shame what will happen to your pet project," the intruder commented in a low, enunciated drawl. "It will be swept under the rug, as is the case with the mistakes of many large corporations, left to gather dust in some forgotten warehouse or archive."  
Shiro bristled. "Who are you? Wait; don't tell me, you're NERV, aren't you?"

"I'm simply a man with a talent for potential. Your overseeing of Jet Alone was indeed impressive." He turned around, revealing himself to be wearing a hood that concealed all but his mouth and chin. "Don't you just hate the way NERV postures and poses, as if it really shows concern for humanity? When so many people suffer and go hungry due to its enormous budget?" The man leaned forward, a smirk forming on his face. "Have you ever wondered why NERV is so influential? Why it possesses as much power as it does? More importantly, _how _do the Evangelions match the Angel blow for blow?"  
"What are you trying to say?" Shiro demanded.

"I can tell you how to make an AT-Field. I can show you what the Evangelions, and consequently _NERV_, really are. I can teach you how to play them at their own game."

"Whatever you're offering I don't want in! I've already got a job of my own!" Shiro growled, even though on the inside he was thinking over the man's words. Somehow, he seemed to know exactly what the executive wanted from creating Jet Alone – a cheap, effective weapon that would show everyone just how phony NERV was.

Because internally, Shiro despised NERV. He hated how they were handed everything on a silver platter, how their needs automatically superseded everything else's. He despised how they were sucking the world of its money, and most importantly, he hated how they were handling the Angels. Surely, he had asked himself, there was a better way, leading to the conception of Jet Alone.

"With the media's perception of NERV it'll only be a matter before they're out thirsting for your blood, considering it was NERV that saved you from a disaster." The intruder mused. "I can guarantee you'll be fired before the week is out."

"Yeah? And what do I get if I work for you?"

"A significant amount of information pertaining to the creation of an Evangelion and the data collected by NEV in relation to the Angels. A place where your intellectual mind will be put to its very limit. And most importantly, a chance to show NERV as the phonies they really are." The man turned around, his form seemingly disappearing with the shadows. "My name is Darth Terros. And when you decide... I'll know."

-SW-

A/N: Jet Alone was actually quite painful to write since the episode isn't really that interesting and doesn't provide very much to work with. Anyway, hopefully it will pick up from here on since I've not really been doing that much other that narrating what's happening. Much of what's happening will be set with Asuka's arrival, so then it'll give us a chance to properly begin.


End file.
